Let Me Fall
by anabundanceofbowties
Summary: Clarity Simmons has been sent to Camp Green Lake, becomming the first female camper ever. The only thing is, she didn't do anything wrong. Not only that, but she had a secret that nobody can ever know. Nobody. ZigZagxOC
1. Welcome To Wherever You Are

**_So this, is my first Holes fanfic EVER! YAYYYYY!!! xD, so yeah, I haven't gotten the characters quite down pat yet but I think I did okay! ANYWAYS, BIG credit to Annabelle from my myspace rp page for the plot idea! LOTS OF LOVE! I'll probably have the link to her page on my profile soon. And another credit to 'Silly Wendz' from my rp myspace page for a further scene in the future (i'll tell you what it is when I get to it). So, I will be naming chapters after songs that fit the chapter or that I like. Same thing. lmao, this chapter is "Welcome To Wherever You Are". :D, anyways, read on my peeps!_**

I didn't do anything. Nothing. Not one thing in my entire life. At least, that's what I thought. Clearly my parents thought I did considering where exactly I was right now. A stuffy old bus that was caked so thick with dirt that I could barely see out the window, if there was anything to see. Just holes. Nothing but deep holes for miles and miles and then nothing. After that it was just dirt. All cracked and parched. Just thinking about living here for how long made me want to stab myself with a fork.  
And the officer that had accompanied me on this drive to hell thought I did something wrong too. Right when I was forced onto the bus, he had clamped a pair of handcuffs onto my wrists maybe a little too tight. The steel is digging into my skin and it's impossible to move my hands. Why would I need handcuffs if I didn't do anything wrong? I don't remember ever robbing a bank or murdering a cashier or any other crime that would land me in Camp Green Lake. This camp was for delinquents and I, clearly, wasn't one.

Clarity Simmons peered out of the grimy window, despite the fact that there wasn't anything really to see. Her eyes were searching for a lake, which she would never find. After realizing this, Clarity sighs and turns towards the officer that was sitting nonchalantly near the exit. He was intimidating, the way he never spoke and only glared. She kept her mouth clamped shut for a few moments, gaining up the courage to say something. He's just human, she told herself inside her mind. She assures her statement with a quick nod before sucking in a deep breath and speaking.  
"Excuse me, I was just wondering, where's the lake?"  
The officer gazes at her through his dark sunglasses and she immediately regretted asking. She was unable to read his eyes due to the glasses but she guessed that they were set in a permanent glower.  
"Okay, um sorry." She finally mutters, her eyes now on her shoes. She was ready to cry. Tears were threatening to spill but she quickly wiped them away. What would the officer think if this so-called delinquent started bawling her eyes out? Sympathetic? Clarity doubted it. Nobody felt sympathy for her, not even her so-called parents. The ones that had sent her here over…  
She wipes away more tears. She didn't want to think about that. Not now, not ever.

The bus squeals to an abrupt halt, jerking Clarity both forward in her seat and out of her thoughts. Curiosity instantly took over. Where exactly was she? She could here voices, all of them deep and Clarity groans. She had forgotten that one little detail; this was a facility for _boy_ delinquents. The doors to the bus squelch open slowly and the voices become clearer.  
"Fresh meat!" Was called over and over again followed by a cruel laugh. This was going to be hell. The officer roughly grabs Clarity's arm and pulls her to her feet. Was he really going to make her go out there? Before she could even ask, he shoves her in front of him with a smug grin. Apparently he was. Hesitantly, Clarity shuffles down the stairs of the bus, muttering a quick thanks to the driver on her way by. Right when she stepped off of the bus, Clarity gasps.  
"Oh my god."

The heat was unbearable. It was like stepping into an oven. Almost instantly, beads of sweat had begun to form on her forehead and scalp. In merely five minutes, somebody could get a heat stroke. Panting, Clarity looks around the facility. She was standing in front of an old building with a faded sign that read 'Office'. A few boys dressed in orange jumpsuits were huddled nearby, staring at her. They looked like those old cartoon characters with their eyes bulging out and their mouth on the floor. Clarity blushes and pulls her eyes away, feeling self conscious and a little frightened. Male criminals who probably hadn't seen a girl in eight months surrounded her. Before she could ponder this any more, the officer nudges her forward.  
"Sorry." She pants, climbing the rickety steps to the 'office'. Once on the porch, the officer unlocks her handcuffs, causing her to sigh in relief. The once noisy camp had suddenly made an extreme transition to dead silence. Clarity's cheeks redden once again and she knew that it wasn't from the wicked sunburn she was probably already developing. The officer chuckles beside her before stepping forward and unlatching the door. Cautiously, Clarity steps inside and can't help but smile. Air conditioning had to be the most wonderful thing ever invented.  
"Something funny?" A man booms with a thick, Texan accent.

Clarity jumps, startled before noticing a heavyset man with major sideburns lounging in a desk. He had his feet propped up on the top of the desk and was munching on a handful of sunflower seeds. His cowboy hat was pulled down low so it was impossible to see his face unless you crouched down under him which Clarity was definitely not going to do. Cautiously, she takes another step into the dark room with her bag in hand.  
"N-No." She stutters, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. The man pulls his cowboy hat up slightly, enough for her to make eye contact with him. He spits a shell into a glass jar before waving the officer out of the building.  
"Good. My name's Mr. Sir." He says sternly. Clarity raises an eyebrow but keeps her mouth shut. She didn't want to get on Mr. Sir's bad side on her first day. She struggles a smile, rubbing the part of her wrists where the handcuffs had once been.  
"Hi." She says quietly. Mr. Sir glares at her before pointing towards a fold up chair facing his desk.  
"Clarity Simmons. Well, looks like you've gotten yourself into some mighty fine trouble there, girly." He murmers as the timid girl sits down in the seat. Clarity groans and leans forward so her arms were resting on Mr. Sir's desk.  
"I didn't do anything! I don't even have a criminal record! My parent's-"  
Mr. Sir cuts her off with an annoyed tone.  
"If you were so innocent as you claim to be, then you wouldn't be here would you?"  
Clarity stares at him for a few moments before sighing and leaning back in the chair once again. Mr. Sir smirks and folds his arms across his chest but not before spitting out a gob of sunflower seeds.  
"That's right girly, now come with me."

Unfortunately, Clarity found herself back in the sweltering heat and unbearable stares once again. As weird as it might sound, she actually felt a bit better with Mr. Sir by her side. He was like her shield.  
"As you can see, we have no barbed wire fences or watch towers. If you wanna run away, go ahead. By all means, go." Mr. Sir growls through a mouthful of seeds. Clarity's eyebrows raise and she looked around. There were 5, faded green tents set up side-by-side with letters painted onto them. And then there was a rickety, wooden set of showers, which made her gulp. Opposing the showers, there was a large cabin with small, green shrubs planted around the building. And then…well and then there was nothing but wasteland and holes for as far as her eyes could see and she realized that Mr. Sir was right. No kind of security whatsoever. For a split second, Clarity considered running but decided against it.  
"I won't run Mr. Sir." She finally speaks, now eyeing a group of boys that were perched on the support railing of a porch. She guessed that some of the boys still didn't hear the news since one feel backwards with a yelp when he saw her. Mr. Sir nods and continues to take long strides towards the building that the boys were lounging by, Clarity not too far behind him.  
"Smart thinkin' girly. Camp Green Lake is the only water source for a hundred miles. It'll only take three days of runnin' before the buzzards pick ya dry." He explains, pushing the door open of the small building.  
"Yes Mr. Sir."

Inside it was dark and cool, just like Mr. Sir's office. The right wall was covered with shelves, each stuffed full of orange jump suits and white wife beaters. There was then a desk, cluttered with papers and a tall, greasy looking young man sporting what seemed to be the camps trademark look of orange jumpsuits. Behind him was a wall cluttered with dirty shovels. Surprisingly, when the young man saw Clarity, he didn't seem shocked. He just yawned and greeted Mr. Sir lazily. Right then, she decided that she liked this mystery boy. Mr. Sir clears his throat, snapping Clarity out of her thoughts before grabbing a random jumpsuit and shoving it into her arms, along with a matching hat and a white wife beater.  
"These are your work clothes. You will get two sets. One is for workin', one's for relaxation. Every two weeks, you will wash your work clothes and your relaxation ones will become for work and so on. Understand?"  
Clarity felt a bit dazed but nods, deciding that that was the best thing to do. The same thing kept repeating in her mind like a broken record player. I am not a delinquent and I don't belong here. Mr. Sir raises an eyebrow at her and steps back, spitting another shell to the rotting, wooden floor.  
"Don't think that just cause you're a girl, that we'll be treatin' you better than anyone else. You screwed your life up and now you're gonna pay for it." He smirks, leaning against the desk. He really was enjoying this. "Now change."

Clarity looks at him in awe. Was he serious? Her arms drop to her sides, the bundle of clothes nestled in the crook of her arm.  
"E-excuse me?" She stammers, looking him up and down. Mr. Sir sneers and readjusts his hat.  
"You heard me, girly." He says through clenched teeth. Clarity shakes her head, forgetting how much this burly man scared her for a few moments. Was Mr. Sir a pedophile or something?  
"But Mr. Sir! I'm a…well…you know?" She stammers once more before looking down at herself and back at him. Mr. Sir rolls his eyes and turns around along with the boy. He waves his hands up over his shoulders as if to say 'happy?' Clarity sighs and quickly begins to slide of her sweaty tank top. She changes into the garments quick and goes to tuck her street clothes into her bag before realizing that the boy had it. The contents of the bag were strewn across the desk and she realized that he was searching for dangerous objects. When were people going to realize that she wasn't sent here because she was a criminal but because her parents didn't WANT her? But why exactly had they sent her to a detention facility for boys? It didn't make sense. Shaking her head, Clarity clears her throat, letting the two males know that she was done changing. Mr. Sir turns around and looks at her with a deadpan expression.  
"Can we continue princess?" He asks sarcastically. Clarity thought for a second, debating on whether to ask for a smaller size since she was practically swimming in the jumpsuit she had on but decided against it.  
"Yes Mr. Sir." She responds quietly.

Mr. Sir harrumphs before grabbing a shovel from the stack. He smacks the butt end on the floor with a thump, one hand on his hip before explaining.  
"You are to dig one hole each day. Five feet wide, five feet in diameter. Your shovel is your measuring stick. Once you're done, you are to head back to camp and spend the rest of the day however you'd like. The faster you finish, the faster you can get out of the sun and away from the rattlesnakes and yellow spotted lizards." He pauses to watch Clarity's reaction to the lizards before continuing, happy with the look of confusion and fear plastered on her face. "Rattlesnake venom won't kill ya most of the time but if you get bit by a yellow spotted lizard, you will die a slow, painful death…always."  
Clarity swallows the lump in her throat as Mr. Sir places the shovel with the rest. The boy hands her the bag, half of the contents in a neat pile still on the desk. Pens, nail polish and her Ipod made up the majority of it. Mr. Sir notices Clarity frowning at the boys "confiscated" pile and grins.  
"This ain't any Girls Scout Camp, princess." He chuckles. Suddenly the door to the building bursts open and a short man with sun block smeared all over his nose beams at her.

"Clarity Simmons! Welcome to Camp Green Lake! First of all, I'd like to say that you might've done some bad things in your life but that doesn't make you a bad person!" The man exclaims with a bright smile. Finally realizing that it didn't do any good to tell them why she was actually here, Clarity just gives him a small smiles and a short wave.  
"Thanks?"  
Beside her, Mr. Sir groans and covers his face with the palm of his hands. Clearly he thought that this adult version of a geek was as sickening as Clarity did. The geek holds out his hands with the same goofy grin.  
"I'm Dr. Pendanski, you're guidance counsellor!"  
Grudgingly, Clarity takes Dr. Pendanski's hand and shakes it quickly before letting go. He nods towards her, grinning.  
"Now, follow m-"  
He order was cut off by static on the radio clipped to his belt. He frowns and grabs the radio, holding it closely to his ear.  
"Pendanski! Send Clarity Simmons to my cabin immediately!" A woman's voice demands through the static. Pendanski's eyebrows knit together and he hesitates to press his finger down on the speak button. This was obviously a new command. Even Mr. Sir looked curious beside Clarity. Finally, Pendanski presses on the button and speaks into the radio.  
"I'm sorry Warden, but I was just about to take her to her tent." He replies, eyeing me with a look that said 'What has she done already?' He didn't have to wait long for the so-called 'Warden's' response.  
"Excuse me?"  
And with that, the Doctor's lips begin to tremble. Clarity was awestruck. Just two words had a full-grown man quivering like a baby, even if it was the dorky guidance counsellor.  
"I'll have her over there right away, Warden."

Dr. Pendanski led Clarity through the camp in silence. More boys had gathered around and the eerie silence was now replaced with whispers and points. And they became even louder when Pendanski marched her up to the Warden's cabin. His preppy attitude from a few minutes earlier had been replaced with fear and curiosity, and Clarity couldn't really blame him. She felt the same emotions pulsing through her. The counsellor knocks loudly on the door to the cabin three times, eyeing the girl to his side. The door bursts open and Clarity felt her mouth drop in shock. The woman had fiery, read hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail and freckles were splattered across her face. She gives Pendaski a short, menacing glare, her arms folded across her chest.  
"Excuse me?" She says with almost no emotion. Pendanski's eyes widen and he nods before fast-walking away. Once he was out of earshot, the Warden turns to Clarity and gives her a wry smile.  
"And how are you Clary?" She nods, leaning against the doorframe. Clarity studies the woman for a few more moments.  
"A-Aunt Lou?" She splutters in shock.

**_FIRST OFF, I'd like to say that this isn't one of those stories where the Warden just adores the neice, blahblahblah. It's different, because well...Lou doesn't feel that way about Clarity. Anyways, Review if you liked! I appreciate constructive criticism but please, no flames. So...REVIEW/FAVORITE/ALERT/DANCE!  
Choose whatever you please! :D_**

**_Love,  
Jay_**


	2. Life On The Moon

Finally, everything made sense to Clarity. Why she was sent to Camp Green Lake, why she was sent to Aunt Lou's 'special' cabin. This was her parent's way of getting rid of her, by sending her to her mother's sister like some kind of parcel. Clarity didn't mind much, as long as she was away from her loathing parents. Even if it she was in the clutches of her cold hearted aunt. Maybe now she would receive the love that her parents never gave after what happened. But with these newly found questions, there came questions. Such as, why am I being treated like a criminal? The worst thing that she had ever done in her life was when she had taken some kid's Animal Crackers in first grade! And Clarity was sure that stealing crackers wasn't something that you could send somebody to Camp Green Lake for.  
"How are your parents, Clarity?" Lou asks with little interest. Clarity looks up at her Aunt, her lips pursed. She was seated on a dusty loveseat inside the cabin, Lou bustling around. She watches Lou for a few moments, thinking of a response to the question. Did Aunt Lou know about Andrew? What had happened? She must've heard through somebody. Clarity's grandmother probably. Finally, she decided that lying was probably the best option.  
"Fine." She murmers, focusing on the stitching of her cap, absentminded. Lou gives a snort, rustling through some papers that were stacked on her kitchen table. Obviously she didn't buy it but she didn't call her niece out on her lie.  
"Well, it's nice to see you deer, but I think it's about time that you let Dr. Pendanski introduce you to your tent mates." She smiles, one hand secured to a nearby CB radio.

Clarity looks up at her dumbfounded. Did Aunt Lou just say what Clarity thought she did? Didn't she know that Clarity was innocent? She jumps to her feet, surprised to find anger bubbling inside of her. Lou looks up from her paperwork for a few moments before going back to reading.  
"Aunt Lou! I didn't do anything! I'm innocent!" Clarity exclaims, approaching her Aunt. This had to be some sick joke. With a reluctant sigh, the Warden meets the gaze of her niece. The once friendly smile that she had worn had disappeared, a look of frustration taking over. Clarity felt her own hard expression falter but she managed to recompose it quickly.  
"Excuse me deer, but I'm not stupid. I know you're innocent and it doesn't matter." She says with a sickly sweet edge to her voice. Clarity lets her angry mask break. She was now on the verge of tears for the second time today. This was insane. Confusing. She could feel a lump growing in her throat and her knees were buckling.  
"But…why?" She whispers, trying desperately to hold back the tears. Lou places a fist on her hip, dropping the paper that she had been reading onto the table once again. Growing up, Clarity had barely seen her aunt. Lou and her mother, Darcy didn't get along so Darcy had forbidden her daughter to speak to her Aunt. But from the little experience she had with Lou, Clarity knew that she had no patience.

"Listen to me, Clarity and listen good. The only reason I agreed to let you stay here is because I need an extra digger out there. The last thing I need is for all these useless boys knowing that I have a niece. It'll ruin everything. I won't be near as much as a threat to them if they find out who you are." She growls, motioning out the window. Clarity's wide brown eyes locked with Lou's. Of course she didn't want to pretend to be some criminal who got kicks out of shoplifting but what could she do? She couldn't argue with her Aunt, she'd just send her back to her parents in Austin. And if she went back home, her parents would ship her off to some foster home probably. They were about ready to do seemingly anything to get rid of her. As much as Clarity hated to say it, she had to become a delinquent. There was no other choice. She wipes away the tears from her face and sighs.  
"What do I tell them?" She asks quietly, no longer able to meet her Aunt's gaze. There was a pause from her Aunt as she thought.  
"I don't know. You burnt down your school or something. Just make it good." Lou finally replies with a huff. "Are you ready?"  
Clarity groans before nodding her head. Of course she wasn't reading but she couldn't tell her Aunt that.  
"Excuse me?" Lou says softly with that accent of hers. Clarity looks up at her, hesitantly. She was grinning, her arms folded across her chest. The young girl stares at her for a few moments before mumbling what Lou wanted to hear.  
"Yes Warden."

**X.X.X.X**

"D for diligence!" Dr. Pendanski beams, approaching the tent with Clarity. His perky mood had picked up right where it had left off once he retrieved the girl from Lou. He didn't ask questions, just began to explain which tent she would stay in. Maybe the guidance counsellor wasn't so bad after all. Well, except for the whole 'Sun block on the nose' thing he had going on. Boys were still staring and whispering and Clarity was sure that the whole camp must know about the 'new girl' now. She had arrived around an hour ago and news must travel fast around here. Pendanski peels the tent door open and ducks inside, still chattering about the weekly discussion groups that he held for the boys. The man could talk for hours. Now only half listening, Clarity slowly enters the tent. It was surprisingly cool inside, with moth eaten cots lined up on both sides of the tent. A rusty lantern hung from the top of the tent by a hook, a dazzling flame flickering inside. Clarity studies her surroundings carefully, memorizing her surroundings for the next how many years. That's when she realized that herself and Pendanski were not the only one's in the room. There were six wide-eyed boys staring at her, frozen in the middle of whatever they had been doing. One who looked Hispanic had been caught in the midst of what looked like a hip shaking number. Clearing his throat, Dr. Pendanski grins at the boys. Ignoring their awkward positions.  
"Good evening boys, this is your new tent mate Clarity!"

A dark boy with rather large glasses snorts from the corner of the tent. He was wearing an amused smirk and was shaking his head. Clarity blushes and shuffles a little closer to the exit.  
"Really, Mom? But she's a girl!" He exclaims, motioning in Clarity's direction. There were a few mumbled agreements all around except from a young boy with frizzy, dark hair who was lounging on a cot by himself. Clarity raises an eyebrow but says nothing. Mom? How did they come up with that? Pendanski chuckles as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard before laying a hand on her shoulder.  
"Yes Rex, I know but she's had a bad upbringing just like the rest of you. She deserves to be here."  
Was that supposed to be a compliment? The boy apparently named Rex rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. He hisses something under his breath about "X-Ray's" but that was all Clarity could make out. Another D-Tenter nudges Rex with an impish glint in his eyes.  
"Or, she's working for them!" He smiles. This one boy had frizzy hair that had to add at least a foot to his already lanky height. His eyes were wide and looked like an eager puppy. The boys laugh and jostle frizzy, leaving Clarity blushing beside Pendanski. These guys definitely weren't the best at make good first impressions. All of them really came off as jerks. Pendanski, deciding to ignore frizzy, turns to Clarity.  
"Clarity, this is Rex, Alan, Theodore, José, Zero and Ricky." He says, motioning to each boy as he said his name. An African American boy, Theodore, glares at Pendanski once the introductions were finished.  
"Yo, Mom. The name's Armpit. How many times do I have to tell you?" Theodore scowls.  
"Again with the silly nicknames. I'll let you all get acquainted before dinner." The guidance counsellor sighs before bustling out of the room.

All of them were staring. Just staring at her with those mocking eyes of theirs. José, the hip shaker, finally relaxes and kicks an empty cot in the corner of the tent. Unlike the rest, this one was bare, only a bundle of sheets stacked neatly on top.  
"This is your cot, chica." He says in a flat tone. Clarity nods once sullenly before cautiously making her way through the herd of delinquents. As she passed, a few whispered to their neighbour or just chuckled to their self. This was hell. Clarity sets her half-empty rucksack down on the thin mattress before sitting down herself. The silence was almost unbearable. As much as she hated it though, she refused to break it. And it wasn't really necessary since Rex felt obliged to.  
"Listen new girl, those ain't our real names. I'm X-Ray, that's Squid, Armpit, Magnet, Zero, Zigzag and that's Caveman." 'X-Ray' explains with a harsh tone, pointing to the slender boy caked with dirt that had just slugged into the tent. The newest arrival looks up at her in surprise. He scans Clarity for a few moments before turning to the rest of the boys.  
"I thought this was an all boys camp." He muses, dropping his dusty hat on the cot nearest to the exit. Zigzag grins at him while pointing a thumb at Clarity.  
"It was, man. Until she showed up."  
Caveman cocks his head at her, who was trying desperately to disappear before setting his gaze on Zero. Zero shrugs without saying a word. How awkward.  
"Well…hi?" Caveman finally greets, giving a short wave. Clarity smiles slightly at him. Well at least there was one half decent kid around here.  
"Hi."

Caveman smiles back before flopping down on his cot, indicating that their short conversation was over. Sighing, Clarity begins to organize her things, not sure what else to do with herself. The conversations had started up again, which was a relief. The only ones who were quiet were Zero (not a big surprise though) and Zigzag. He was watching her with curious eyes and a slight smirk. Flushed, Clarity tries to ignore the set of eyes boring into her back as she positioned her dingy pillow the way she wanted it. Without warning though, Zigzag bursts out into hysterics, causing the rest of the tent to stop and stare at him. The first thing that popped into Clarity's head was that this boy was insane and belonged in a mental asylum instead of Camp Green Lake. But then she realized that he was pointing at her, tears streaming in those loopy eyes of his. Squid groans and throws a large, black work boot at him, getting annoyed with his insane laughter.  
"What the hell's so funny, Zig?" He booms in a thick, country accent.  
"Yeah man, you're acting loco." Magnet jumps in, spinning his index finger by his head. Armpit nudges him, shaking his head in dismay.  
"Don't you know dog? Ziggy _is_ crazy." The large boy smirks. Clarity shrinks back slightly. After a few more minutes of hysterics, Zigzag is able to shout out a response.  
"Man, look at her! She won't be able to dig one hole!" He splutters before going back to his spasm. Clarity looks herself up and down with reddened cheeks. Crazy was probably right but she didn't say anything, instead just continued to unpack and organize. However, now the whole tent was staring at her.  
"Look at those arms, dude! They're skinnier than this toothpick!" Squid snickers harshly, grabbing the cocktail stick out of his mouth and holding it up. Now the whole tent was laughing at her. Almost everybody that is. Clarity looks over at Caveman and Zero, wondering if they too were mocking her. But to her surprise, they were both silent, Caveman watching with a sympathetic look and Zero had his eyes closed. Somebody grabs Clarity's arm and spins her around.  
"You're goin' to be out there all day, girl." X-Ray smirks, shaking her arm.  
"Finally, somebody who'll be slower than Caveman!" Zigzag heaves from the floor.

Clarity looks around the tent with hurt in her eyes before jerking her arm out of X-Ray's grasp. Almost everybody's laughter attack had subsided into random snickers here and there. Clarity stood by her cot awkwardly with her head down. She waited for more harassing from her campmates but instead there came a rational question. It came from Caveman's cot on the other side of the tent.  
"What'd they catch you for?" He asks softly, nothing like the others mocking tones. Clarity freezes as she tries desperately to think up a lie. Aunt Lou had gave her a good one but she couldn't remember now. Damnit, she hisses in her head. She opens her mouth, waiting for a sound to come out but she didn't save to say anything.  
"Probably stole some nail polish or something." Squid mocks with a harsh chuckle. How sexist. And Clarity had had just about enough of this. Deciding to stick up for herself, she blurts out the first thing that came to her mind.  
"No, attempted murder."  
Everybody looked at her, shocked. Even Zero had opened one eye to gaze at her. The random wave of anger instantly disappeared and Clarity found herself as shocked as the rest of Group D. Zigzag looks up at her with the same, excited eyes.  
"Didja get him?" He asks, rubbing his hands together eagerly. He was still lying on the dirty floor, Armpit seated on the cot above him. The bigger boy kicks him gently.  
"Man, if it was 'attempted' murder that means that he got away." Armpit explains impatiently. Zigzag looks up at him and mouths 'oh', looking disappointed. Clarity was now definitely sure that this frizzy haired boy was insane.

There was another long drag of silence; the boys wondering how a tiny, timid little thing like Clarity could have possibly try to murder somebody. X-Ray grins and snaps his fingers, as if he had come up with an answer.  
"I know why she did it!" He exclaims with an excited grin. Everybody watches him. Waiting for his hypothesis. He pauses, watching his audience with a wry smile. Magnet glares at him and shakes his head.  
"C'mon man, just tell us!" He yells impatiently. X-Ray rolls his eyes at the Hispanic boy before clearing his throat, as if getting ready for an important speech.  
"It was her boyfriend! He got her the wrong kind of tampons!" He roars. Once again, the whole tent burst into hysterics while Clarity stood there, feeling ashamed. And as she listened to that cruel laughter once again, she decided on one thing. That a foster home would be much better than D-Tent.

**_Meh...I don't know what I think of this chapter. It's okay I suppose. Tell me what you think?? Review if you like or have some constructive criticism! Oh and I'm always looking for good ideas :D!_**

**_Oh and, Clarity does NOT fall in love with Caveman. I just think he'd be the nicest because he knows what it feels like to be new :D  
READ & REVIEW!  
-Ziggy_**


	3. Flagpole Sitta

**I love reviews! They keep me motivated!!!! :D**

It took a long while for sleep to take Clarity that night. Snores erupted from all around the tent and the odd murmers from Zigzag who occupied the cot beside hers. She hadn't been exactly thrilled when learning this but what could she do? She was the new guy. Or girl. All the way through dinner, Zigzag had been poking fun at her. Of course it wasn't just him, everybody else dished their own insults but Zig's had been the worst. Clarity remembered reading in a book somewhere that young boys teased girls that they liked. If this was the case, Zigzag must be in love with her. She smiles though finds no humour in the thought. She mentally made a reminder to write a strongly worded letter to the author of that book and set them straight. Clarity snuggles deeper into the thin sheets that smelt of sour milk, tossing to her left side. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to drown out the snores wafting from Armpit's cot. Deciding to distract herself, Clarity begins to recap her horrible first day. Well, let's see…She begins inside her head.

First, she had arrived on the most dingy, run down bus she had ever seen and than met 'Mr. Sir' who was probably some kind of pedophile and Dr. Pendanski who Clarity would bet wasn't even a real doctor. And then she learnt that her loony Aunt Lou ran this place and was now using her as manual labour. And who could forget those wonderful boys? How they must have enjoyed themselves at dinner tonight. They had been nice enough to make room at their table, stuffing her in between Caveman and Armpit with Zigzag opposing her. She didn't hate the kid, in fact, she found him quite amusing. The way his eyes darted between each of his campmates, as if waiting for one of them to pull a knife on him. Dinner had started with Clarity grudgingly spooning slop onto her tray. It smelt just like her cot. The only good part was the bread and she didn't even get to enjoy that. Caveman had flagged her down to D-Tent's table and right as she sat down, X-Ray reached over and grabbed her precious bread. He had swiped it too fast for Clarity to stop him. However, X-Ray explained in actions as he munched on her bread.  
"You don't dig, you don't get any bread." He said through a mouthful of food. Supper wasn't quite as bad as in the tent, but having _somebody _kick you under the table for half an hour could get quite annoying. Clarity suspected either Zigzag or Squid but she couldn't be sure. Hell, she was surprised that she was able to force down her food while all of this was going on. The boys ate fast and soon, she was alone at the table, picking at her mush. She didn't stay to finish it and instead followed D-Tent out of the mess hall. Sure, they were all terrible but being with them was better than being alone inside a room full of criminals. D-Tent didn't return to the actual tent, instead they all wandered off towards a building that's sign had originally been "Rec Hall" instead of "Wreck Hall". Clarity didn't follow them, instead she returned to her cot.

She had enjoyed her few hours of alone time and she did something that surprised her. She wrote a letter to her parents. Clarity wouldn't send it though. If she did, it would probably end up in the trash, unopened. But she wrote anyway. It was mostly about the accident. How she was sorry and missed both the love of _him_ and her parents. When she reached the end of the paper, Clarity carefully signed her name with _'Love' _before it. She'd always love them even if they didn't love her back. A few tears had splattered onto the letter once she was finished but Clarity wiped them away and tucked the paper into her crate where it would be safe. Maybe one day she'd send it. The boys returned half an hour after she finished and continued to ignore or whisper about her until a bell clang and they climbed into their cots and dozed off. Caveman had spoken to her before scurrying to bed. He had patted her on the back reassuringly.  
"It's just a new guy thing." Hopefully he was right and maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe her tent mates would actually call her by her name instead of 'girl' or 'hey you!' or Magnet's personal favourite, 'chica'. Hell, maybe she'd even get a weird nickname like everybody else. And as Clarity finally felt herself getting drowsy, she began to wonder what they would call her. Hopefully it'd be better than 'Armpit'.

A horn rings through the camp, waking Clarity up with a jolt. Her eyes snap open and she begins to search for the source. Sleep was still lingering and she began to doze off again while those around her stirred. Maybe, she thought, maybe if I just lay still they'll forget about me. It was still dark, so dark that Clarity couldn't even see her hand right infront of her face. Stifling a yawn, she ducks her head under the sheets, trying to become a piece of the scenery as much as possible. All of D-Tent was now awake and getting ready for the long day ahead. She could hear them stumbling around the dark tent, groaning and mumbling incoherently. Clarity bet that they were all pulling on their boots and jumpsuits right now and she was glad that she didn't have to watch that. Plus, she had worn hers to bed so that was a bonus. After a few minutes of listening to the boys prepare for the day, the footsteps faded as each boy exited the tent. Clarity heaved a relieved sigh and throws the sheets away from her face only to find Zigzag staring suspiciously at her from his cot. Clarity yelps, startled.  
"What the…" She trails off, staring at the odd boy. He gazes at her with the same suspicious expression before pointing his index finger at her.  
"I'm onto you." He says wearily before getting up and exiting the tent without another word. Clarity blinks twice, confused before reluctantly rolling out of the cot and into her heavy, black work boots that were identical to the ones that Squid had thrown at Zigzag. As she stumbled out into the cool, dark 'lake' she began to wonder what Zigzag had been talking about. Had he read the letter or was her hypothesis correct and he was indeed, truly crazy? Deciding to ask Caveman later, Clarity sprints to catch up with her tent.

They were following Mr. Sir quietly who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Dr. Pendanski wasn't all that far either. Clarity halts along with everybody else infront of a small, wooden shack with the word 'Library' painted on the top. If it was supposed to be a joke, Clarity didn't find any humour in it when she found out what was inside. After Mr. Sir unlocked the 'library', she had let out a quiet moan. Shovels. Tons of them just covered with dirt. She wearily files into the line to grab a shovel. The whole camp was pretty quiet except for Pendanski who was yelling greetings that were generally ignored. Soon, Clarity found herself at the front of the line and she reaches out to grab one only for Magnet to grab her arm.  
"Nu-hu chica, that's X-Ray's shovel. It's smaller than the others." He warns. Clarity stares at him, her eyes half closed. "Huh?"  
"Smaller shovel, smaller hole." He says before letting go of her and sliding back in behind. She nods before grabbing a shovel in behind X-Ray's. She had just avoided a nasty situation, thanks to Magnet.  
"Hey princess, let's hurry it up! We ain't got all day!" Mr. Sir bellows from the porch of his office. Clarity scowls at him sleepily, shuffling with the rest of the line towards a rectangular table. She curiously peers into the tin trays laid out on the table and shrugs one shoulder. Inside were tortilla wraps with what Clarity guessed was honey smothered on top. She grabs one quickly and shoves it into her mouth. It was surprisingly sweet and she grinned in between mouthfuls. Breakfast was officially the best part of the day.

The sun could be seen vaguely rising as Mr. Sir led D-Tent out onto the 'lake' inside his rusted pickup truck. Clarity dragged her heavy shovel along with the rest of the boys who began waking up. They had all started conversations as they made their way out to dig. Seeing her chance, Clarity caught up with Caveman and Zero who were silently chatting to one another.  
"Hey, Caveman. What's up with Zigzag?" She asks, her eyes glancing at the lanky boy ahead of them. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Caveman too watches Zigzag before shrugging one shoulder.  
"I don't know. He's weird." He says. Zero nods, his shovel slung over his right shoulder. Well that really helped, Clarity grumbles inside her head. Mr. Sir led them out a good distance before putting the truck in park and showing them where do dig.  
"Have fun, girly. This ain't no Girl Scouts Camp." The bitter old man smirks as he marks an X in the dirt with the heel of his cowboy boot. He let's out a bitter laugh before driving away in his truck. For a few moments, Clarity watches the trail of dust that the truck left before sighing and cramming the blade of her shovel into the crusted ground. It hit the ground with a thud but didn't make a dent in the dirt. With a huff, she tries again, putting more weight onto the shovel but again, it just hit with a thump. Clarity could hear a few of the boys chuckling from behind her and scowls. She definitely wasn't a morning person. She tried another five times before Caveman tapped her gently on the back.  
"Um, maybe let me…" He spoke softly, placing a hand on the handle of the shovel. Clarity blushes in embarrassment, silently letting go of the shovel and stepping back. Caveman nods towards her before wedging the blade into a crack in the ground and scooping out some soil. As he did so, D-Tent roared with laughter.  
"Man, I told you. You owe me all your shower tokens." X-Ray yells towards Armpit. Armpit glares at the smaller camper before continuing with his hole.  
"It's not over yet."

Caveman scooped out another three clods of dirt before handing the shovel back to Clarity with a soft smile.  
"Thanks." She mumbles, beginning to dig where Caveman had left off. He nods before returning to his own hole beside Zero. Digging was harder than it seemed. Two hours after she'd begun, blisters began forming on Clarity's hands, making it harder to hold the shaft of her shovel, let alone actually dig. The sun was unbearable once it rose, almost baking her to a crisp. She could feel a nasty sunburn forming on her neck. As they dug, the boys blabbered on about random stuff, mostly about their life before Camp Green Lake. She didn't participate in the conversation but learnt a lot about the boys. Caveman had been arrested for stealing a pair of shoes and Magnet's dad owned some bigwig office where he got to hang out all day. Clarity was sure that Magnet was lying but she didn't say anything. Right as they got into girlfriends, the water truck pulled up and everybody jumped out of their holes. Clarity examined her hole quickly. It was up to her shins but just barely. Feeling discouraged, she steps out of the hole and into the water line behind Squid. But as fast as she had arrived, she was shoved back to the back of the line by Zigzag.  
"Girl, this is my spot." He says with a glare. She stumbles behind Caveman and blinks at Zigzag who had turned around to face Mr. Pendanski who was refilling canteens. That's when Clarity noticed the line up. First was X-Ray, who was obviously the leader, then came Armpit, Squid, Zigzag, Magnet, Zero and finally Caveman. Pendanski tuts at the wild haired boy as he hands Squid back his now full canteen.  
"Now Ricky, Clarity's new here, she doesn't know better." He lectures while holding Zigzag's canteen under the water nozzle. "Treat her how you'd like to be treated." Zigzag grabs his canteen and mumbles "Yes Mom." As he slugged back to his hole. When Clarity found herself at the start of the line she hands Pendanski her empty bottle. She had drunken it quickly, which was a big mistake. For the last hour, she had felt like she was going to die of thirst. She would have to learn to pace herself, Clarity decides.  
"So, got any blisters on ya?" Mr. Pendanski asks with a cheery tone as he filled her canteen. Clarity hesitantly holds out her bloody hands for Pendanski to gaze upon without saying a word. Pendanski grimaces as he hands her back her water.  
"Well, like the boys say, the first hole's the hardest." He says.

Zero was the first to finish his hole. He finished right after lunch that had consisted of ham sandwiches and apples. The small boy climbed out of his five-foot hole, stared at it for a moment before spitting into it. Clarity had been amazed. How could he be done when her hole was only up to her belly button? She had watched him drag his shovel back towards the compound with wide eyes.  
"Zero's the fastest digger at camp, ya know." Squid had informed her from his hole. He had been closed to done too. Magnet nods with a snicker.  
"Yeah, he's either a worm or a mole. They haven't decided yet." He says, motioning towards X-Ray and Armpit. And that had led to a full debate on whether Zero was indeed an earthworm or a mole. Armpit was the next to finish. He too spat in his hole before returning to camp. One by one, each boy finished up and spat until it was only Clarity and Caveman left. She couldn't see the boy anymore due to his pile of dirt and the hole being so deep but he was speaking to her while he finished up.  
"You'll get faster, don't worry about it." He assures while throwing some dirt onto the pile. Clarity wipes away some sweat from her brow before continuing with the never-ending dig.  
"I don't know. I might be out here 'till nightfall." She replies. She could hear Caveman grunting as he pulled himself out of his hole and spit into it. Clarity didn't look up and instead focused on her hole.  
"Nah, I don't think so. You're almost done anyway." He replies, peering down into Clarity's hole. She looks at him, shading her eyes with her hand and smiles.  
"Don't forget to spit." He jokes before stalking off with his shovel. She laughs, shaking her head before yelling a response.  
"I won't!"

"Ugh!" Clarity grunts, trying for a seventh time to climb out of her finished hole. She had been done for the past half hour and had stupidly thrown her shovel up before her so she had no way of getting out. The sun was beginning to set and she was beginning to panic. What if they had forgotten about her? Clarity takes a few deep breaths before trying for a final time to escape only to fail miserably.  
"Damnit!" She curses, collapsing into her hole. She wraps her sore arms around her legs and leans back against the side of the hole. Her life sucked. Her parents blamed her for what happened to _him_ and now hated Clarity, Aunt Lou forced her into a tent with a bunch of jackass criminals, she was forced to dig holes in the dessert for no apparent reason and now she was stuck. Finally, Clarity let everything that she had been holding in for the past few months out. She began to cry. They were loud, violent sobs and she couldn't breath. She knew that crying wouldn't fix anything but it helped. It was all she had left. Clarity buried her face in her knees and continued before a voice interrupted her.  
"Are you okay?"  
Clarity grimaces and squeezes her eyes shut. Zigzag.

**THis chapter I had a little trouble on but I think it turned out nice! I have no idea what to do with the next one though. But I don't think Zigzag and Clarity will be opening up to each other just yet. ;]. Review if you like it!**

**-Ziggy**


	4. Let Me Fall

**_thanks to everyone who reviewed! It means alot! Also, totally ignore my last Author Note about Zigzag and Clarity not opening up to eachother yet! I forgot where I was going with the plot when I wrote that! xD, Anyways, read and review!!!!!!!!!! =]_**

Clarity buried her head deeper into her knees as she waited for her unwanted audience to leave. She could feel those animated blue eyes boring into her burnt neck and it made her cringe. She could just imagine his expression. It was one of disgust probably. Just peering down at her like she was some insect under a microscope. All she wanted to do was cry and feel sorry for herself. She just wanted them to let her fall to pieces. Let her fall. She'd get up again. No matter how bad she wanted to stay down, she'd get back up. Why couldn't people just understand that? If Clarity had thought more about it, she'd realize that nobody knew about her terrible past. All of them thought that she was just another messed up kid who liked to break rules. But she didn't. Instead, she continued to weep but brought it down to a quieter level. One that she hoped Zigzag couldn't hear.  
"Are you okay?" He repeats a bit slower. Clarity could here him shuffle a bit closer to the edge of the hole. She lifts her head up slightly and wipes away a few tears from her stained cheek. He was behind her, she finally decided. Maybe he didn't know that she had been crying. Not turning to face him, Clarity sniffles and dries away more tears with the dirty sleeve of her jumpsuit.  
"Leave me alone." She replies in a quaky voice. There were a few moments of silence and she was sure that Zigzag had left her alone like she requested. Why had he come in the first place? Clarity could feel a sob building inside her but kept it down, still unsure on whether Zigzag was still above her or back at the compound.  
"Are you crying?"

His voice was softer than Clarity was used to. He actually sounded…like he cared. She pauses for a second before opening her mouth to reply only for a violent sob to slip out before words.  
"No." She answers miserably before lowering her head again. She was mad at herself for letting Zigzag see her so vulnerable. She was sure that D-Tent would have a good laugh about her little breakdown later. Now even Caveman wouldn't like her. Clarity laughs bitterly inside her head. Zigzag was quiet behind her and she was fighting the urge to turn and see what he thought of all of this. Right now he was probably thinking 'and I thought I was crazy'! Finally though, he mumbles something incoherently under his breath.  
"Well damn girl, it's just a hole. I can help you out." He says softly in his country boy accent. Clarity can't help but laugh out loud at this. He thought this was about being stuck. Right now, that was the least of her problems. She had a loathing family back home, a brother 6 feet under and a delusional aunt who liked to make innocent girls dig holes with loud-mouthed criminals. Shaking her head, Clarity raises her head with an amused smirk.  
"You think this is about being stuck?" She says dryly. From above, dirt began to crunch as Zigzag slid down into the dungeon beside her. She felt uncomfortable with him so close and she could tell that he did too since he pushed himself to the opposite side of the hole.

Hesitantly, Clarity looks up at him, feeling ashamed. The dimming sun made it look like his frizzy hair was on fire and the light danced across his frowning face. He was sitting Indian style with his elbows resting on his knees. The two stared at each other without a word for what seemed to be hours before Zigzag finally spoke once again.  
"Well…" He urged, leaning forward in interest. Clarity blinks at him, mystified. He didn't _actually _care what was wrong, did he? He couldn't. She raises an eyebrow, still sniffling.  
"Well _what_?" Clarity questions. Zigzag's face was smooth and showed no emotion. For a second, she thought that he was grinning but she couldn't be sure. Her eyes were still blurry with tears, making it hard to really make anything out.  
"Well, aren't you goin' to tell me what's wrong?"  
Clarity scowls at him and huffs. How stupid did he think she was? All he wanted was all the facts for story time later with the rest of their tent.  
"Why should I?" She mumbles with a frown. Zigzag thinks this over for a few seconds before shrugging. Even, he didn't know why he wanted to know so badly. The silence seemed to last for eternity before Zigzag spoke again.  
"I won't tell anybody you know."  
Clarity looks up at him with doubt in her eyes. He looked sincere enough and she didn't really think of a way out of this predicament without the end result being she telling Zigzag what was wrong. Of course, she was still going to have to lie if she wanted to stay with Aunt Lou.  
"Fine, what have I got to lose?" Clarity mutters to herself. With some quick thinking, she began to make up a story.

"My parents and brother were murdered a few months ago in a shoot out." She begins, not really knowing where she was going with it. Clarity peeks at Zigzag for a moment before continuing.  
"By…my crazy Aunt. She wanted a loan but my father wouldn't give it to her since she had gambled away her own money. She was angry and broke into our house one night with a pistol…"  
Again, Clarity glances at Zigzag, wondering how he was taking all this. He looked anxious and his eyes shone in the dimming light. Maybe she was a better liar than she had always thought. With a deep breath, Clarity finishes up.  
"I was at a friend's house at the time and when I learnt what happened, I knew who had done it. I went after her but I was arrested before I could finish her off."

Zigzag hesitated with a response, either unsure of what to say or still digesting Clarity's story. Did he believe her? Clarity begins to fidget as she waits impatiently for something. Anything. After what seemed like an eternity, Zigzag sighs and cautiously slides a little closer to her. Her eyes were glued to the ground and she could once more feel his gaze resting upon her.  
"I can help you out of the hole." He says quietly. Clarity looks up at him and gives him a feeble smile. He smiled back and jumped to his feet, dusting off some dirt from his jumpsuit. Zigzag then hoists himself out of the hole, grunting. Clarity watched him with the same, soft grin. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She slowly struggles to her feet, groaning in pain. Pendanski was right; the first hole was the hardest. Everything ached. It even felt like her hair was sore. It was only a few seconds before Zigzag's head appeared above her, his hand held out for her to take.  
"Here." He calls. Clarity promptly takes a hold of Zigzag's outstretched hand, feeling the best she had in months. She now had two people who actually liked her at Camp Green Lake. Caveman and Zigzag. She didn't even care that the only reason that Zigzag was being nice to her was probably out of sympathy. With a quick jerk on Zigzag's behalf, Clarity found herself free of her hole. She releases her savior's sweaty palm and begins to dust herself off. Zigzag waited patiently by her side, his eyes staring off at something that wasn't there. Once she decided that she was as clean as she was going to get, the two slowly trudge back to the camp compound in silence. It wasn't the same awkward silence as yesterday though, Clarity noticed. With them both lost in their own, personal thoughts, conversation didn't seem necessary right then. When Zigzag and Clarity finally made their way into the camp, they were greeted by Pendanski.

"Thank-you, Ricky! I was afraid that she had passed out." The guidance counselor exclaims with his signature goofy grin. Zigzag shrugs one shoulder and mumbles something before pushing past Dr. Pendanski and heading towards the mess hall. Clarity watches him for a few moments, biting her lower lip as Pendanski carried on about different occasions when campers had passed out from fatigue. She was disappointed. She had thought that Zigzag was her friend now but apparently she had been mistaken. With a disappointed sigh, Clarity throws her shovel with the others, Pendanski still chattering away.  
"You coming?"  
Surprised, Camp Green Lake's sole female camper gapes at Zigzag who was staring expectantly back at her. She quickly glances at her guidance counselor before nodding and sprinting to catch up with Zigzag.  
"Thanks…again." Clarity says, entering the mess hall with her tent mate. He gives her a lopsided smile in return. Once their trays were filled with what Clarity guessed was chili, they took a seat at D-Tent's table.  
"What was our little she-D Tenter up to, Zig?" X-Ray grins, spooning some of his food. Clarity's eyes snap up instantly to stare at Zigzag. Hesitantly, the frizzy blonde eyes each boy before swallowing his bread and speaking.  
"Just having some trouble gettin' out of her hole."  
The table howls with laughter and Clarity nods at Zigzag with a weak smile.

Supper was again filled with snarky remarks and the same kicking under the table (she had decided that the culprit was Squid) but Clarity didn't mind much. She now had two people who didn't hate her. _2 down, 5 more to go_ Clarity smiles in her mind. She had even accepted Caveman's invite to join him and everybody else in the Wreck Room.  
"Here you can play pool, send letters to your family, pass out or if you're Zigzag, watch static on the TV." Caveman explains, showing her around the crowded room. Clarity can't help but grin when spotting Zigzag staring intently at the broken television screen. X-Ray, Magnet and Armpit were playing a game of pool in the corner and Zero was lounging on an under stuffed chair. She turns back to Caveman and smiles.  
"So this is how you guys save yourself from dying of boredom." She jokes. Caveman chuckles and is about to reply when Squid interrupts.  
"Hey! Clarity! Come here!" He called from the doorway of the wreck hall. He was motioning for her to follow him and was grinning ear to ear. Clarity glanced at Caveman as if to say 'What's going on?' and he shrugs in response. She didn't really want to go anywhere with Squid but she didn't want to get on his bad side even more. Grudgingly, Clarity approaches him with her arms crossed.  
"What is it?" She asks quietly, kicking at the floor. Squid grabs her forearm and begins to lead her outside.  
"I wanna show you somethin'. It's really cool!" He beams in his deep, country boy accent. It was dark outside and the cool night air surprised Clarity. It was almost impossible how Camp Green Lake could go from an oven to a freezer in a matter of a few hours. Squid continued to drag her out into the night without a word before coming to an abrupt halt behind D-Tent. Confused, Clarity scans her surroundings, looking for anything the least bit interesting.  
"What did you want to show me?" She finally asks only for Squid to pull her close to him, his lips only a few inches away from hers.  
"Kiss me." He breathes.

Clarity's eyes widen and her heart accelerates. She knew she should pull away or scream but she was frozen in place. Squid begins to lean in, his lips puckered together.  
"What are you doing?" She squeaks, leaning as far away as possible from him. His strong arms were wrapped around her waist, making it impossible for her to get away.  
"Come on, girl! Just kiss me!" He whispers, his hot breath warming her cheek. Clarity begins to squirm, trying desperately to escape his grip. His lips were now only half an inch away from hers.  
"Squid! Get off of me!" She shrieks, trying to alert somebody. But she knew that they were the only two outside. Everybody else was playing pool inside the wreck room. Or maybe not everybody…  
"What the hell, Squid?" She could hear a male's voice exclaim angrily. Squid's grip on her loosens and Clarity sighs in relief. Annoyed, Squid turns to the intruder, his eyebrows furrowed together.  
"Man, screw off." He grumbles. "We're having a moment."  
The other boy snorts and Clarity could hear him stalking forward. She couldn't make out his features since it was so dark but she knew who it was from the lanky height.  
"Really?"  
Squid groans and releases Clarity. Once free, she takes a few quick steps away from him, prepared to run back to the wreck room if nessecary.  
"Zig, what have I told ya about privacy?"  
"I don't know."  
"I haven't seen a girl in four months; please don't blow this for me."  
Zigzag is quiet for a few moments.  
"I always knew you were a Russian spy, Squid." He growls.

Squid groans and throws his hands up in defeat before stalking away.  
"Damn acute paranoia." He mumbles to himself as he marches past Clarity. "Ruins everything."  
Clarity stands there awkwardly with Zigzag in silence until Squid was out of ear shot. Slowly, Zigzag gives her a loopy grin.  
"And they think I'm not onto them."  
Clarity stares at him with an eyebrow raised. Okay, so her new friend was now officially crazy. That was cool. As long as that fact kept Squid away, she could deal with it. Stifling a chuckle, she begins to make her way back to the wreck room, Zigzag only a few paces behind her. When they were outside the room, Clarity stares glumly at him.  
"Do you know what sucks?"  
"Hm?"  
"He's probably going to rape me tonight."

**_R&R  
-Ziggy_**


	5. Troublemaker

**Thanks to those who reviewed! You're the ones who've kept me motivated! Whooo!!! -gives you all a cookie-. n_n hope this chapter is up to your standards!**

As Clarity dug her shovel into the crusted soil, she can't help but groan in pain. Dr. Pendanski was wrong; the first hole wasn't the hardest. The second hole was. Right from the moment when she had woken up this morning, her arms had been aching like crazy. And now that she was out on the 'lake' with a five-foot long shovel, she felt like she might die. Just pushing the shovel into the dirt made her want to collapse into a pile and never get up. Throwing another shovel of dirt onto her growing pile with a grunt, Clarity looks around her. The rest of D-Tent seemed to be having no such problems and she couldn't help but feel a bit envious. They made digging look so…easy. _Stop it._ She scolded herself inside her head. _They've been here longer than you have. They're more experienced._ Clarity nodded to herself before continuing with her hole. As she continued her struggle, she could feel Squid's eyes on her skin. Hesitantly, she turns her head slightly to be met by his icy glare. The same one she had been getting ever since she had returned to the wreck hall with Zigzag last night. She shudders and quickly goes back to digging, trying desperately to ignore those loathing eyes.  
"Lunch!" Magnet calls and Clarity can't help but sigh in relief.

The boys and Clarity clamber out of their holes, watching the water truck approach the digging site, a cloud of dust following it. Today, it was sandwiches smeared with a canned mix of ham and cheese and graham crackers. Everything seemed to come in a can at Camp Green Lake. Clarity sat at the edge of her hole, nibbling quietly on her graham cracker while the boys joked around with each other. She was surprised when Caveman stalked over and plopped down beside her.  
"How's your hole coming?" He asks, breaking his own cookie into small pieces. Clarity watches him for a few moments with an eyebrow raised before shrugging. Her hole wasn't as near as big as it was yesterday around this time. Of course, she hadn't been quiet as sore yesterday either.  
"Okay, I guess…" She sighs. "Yours?"  
Caveman's eyes wander towards his own hole a few yards away, looking discouraged and Clarity can't help but feel a little better. She wasn't much slower than Caveman.  
"Slow…" He replies, nodding to himself. Clarity chuckles, finishing the last bit of her sandwich.  
"Hey, girl!" X-Ray calls. He and the rest of the boys were all huddled together by Armpit's hole, obviously discussing something. Caveman and Clarity exchange quick glances before she hoists herself to her feet, eyeing the group with uncertainty. X-Ray grins at her, motioning vigorously for her to come and join them.

Slowly, Clarity stalks over to the boys, Caveman a few paces behind her. Her eyes wander towards Zigzag who was staring intently back at her. Once she was standing with the rest of her tent, Clarity looks them all over. Most were grinning at her, except for Squid who wouldn't drop his icy stare and Zero was off by himself inside his hole. X-Ray nods at her with his arms folded across his chest.  
"Me and the guys have been talkin'." He begins, kicking at his posse behind him. "And we've decided that you need an initiation."  
Clarity stares at him, confused. Once more, she glances at Zigzag, wondering if they were all serious. Zigzag shrugs on shoulder in response.  
"What?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.  
"It was Magnet's idea." Armpit says, gently jabbing his elbow into the Hispanic boy beside him. Magnet puffs out his chest proudly.  
"Wait, I didn't have an initiation!" Caveman points out, looking as confused as Clarity felt.  
"Yeah but you took on the Lump, Caveman." Squid explains coolly, his gaze never leaving Clarity. A few of the others agree before Armpit speaks up, his face scrunched up in thought.  
"But Squid, I never got one either…"  
"Hey! Me neither!" Zigzag pipes in. "That ain't fair!"  
X-Ray groans and smacks his hand against his forehead, getting frustrated.  
"Yes! We know, okay? Just drop it!" He exclaims, glaring at them through his fingers. The boys hush down, surprised at their leader's sudden outburst. X-Ray takes a few deep breaths before removing his hand from his face and turns to Magnet.  
"Just…explain."

Magnet nods before turning to Clarity, who had been watching all of this with a small smile. He clears his throat, as if he was about to make a big speech before beginning to speak.  
"You see chica, you are the first girl ever here at Camp Green Lake." He starts, Clarity staring at him thinking _well duh!_ "And well, we don't think that we can accept you into our group THAT easily. We're all _niños _and you're a _niña_. Understand?" Squid groans and smacks Magnet in the back of the head.  
"Man, why don' you say it in _English_. This ain't Mexico." He scowls. Magnet sends his own glare towards the country boy before setting his attention back on Clarity, muttering in Spanish under his breath. Zigzag steps forward beside Magnet, putting his arm around the shorter boy.  
"What Magnet is trying to say is, you need to prove yourself." Zigzag says quickly. Clarity blinks at him. "I don't think I understand all of this." Or this was all to stupid for Clarity to wrap her head around. Yes, definitely the second one. Zigzag throws his hands up, his eyes wide.  
"You know what? Just forget it, it's stupid."  
"No, Zig. She's gonna do it." X-Ray says harshly, staring at Clarity through his dirt covered glasses. Zigzag gives him his signature 'stare' before sneaking her a sympathetic look. Clarity, after thinking for a few moments, finally let's out a sigh of defeat. There was no way of getting out of this one.  
"Fine, what to I have to do?"

X-Ray grins at her and opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by Mr. Sir who was marching up to the group with a scowl.  
"Quit your chatterin' and keep diggin'! This ain't a Girl Scout's Camp ya know!" He hollers, spitting out a gob of sunflower seeds in the process. The boys begin to slug off to their holes quietly. Clarity turns to retreat to her own hole only for X-Ray to catch her by the arm.  
"We'll finish this when we get back to camp." He whispers before releasing her and jumping down into his hole. Clarity stands there for a second, feeling slightly sick before returning to her half dug hole. She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild on what D-Tent was going to make her do. What if they wanted her to murder Mr. Sir or something? Clarity shudders. Today, she wouldn't mind digging until nightfall. If that's what it would take to get her out of her 'initiation'.

**X.X.X.X.X**

Clarity drags herself into her tent, feeling like she was about to die. She was able to get out of her hole herself today, using her shovel as support. She liked Zigzag. She really did but she did not want him to once again save her from her own hole. Clarity grimaces when she realized that D-Tent had been waiting for her. As soon as she walked through the entrance, they had all jumped to their feet and began to chatter all at once about her 'initiation'. Clarity pushes past them and flops down on her cot, too tired to do really anything else. The boys continue their nattering which was impossible to make out since they were all speaking at the same time.  
"Did you remember to spit?" A voice asks from above her. Clarity opens one eye to find Caveman towering over her with his friendly smile. She manages her own smile and nods, not able to bring up enough strength to even speak. X-Ray marches over towards the two with an impish glint in his eyes.  
"Alright, enough small chat. We have an important decision to make. What is her initiation going to be?" He announces. The rest of D-Tent huddles around Clarity's cot, shouting out ideas.  
"She could pull the fire alarm in the wreck hall!" Armpit shouts. X-Ray shakes his head 'no', arms folded across his chest.  
"Nah, it's been done by that kid in B-Tent, remember?" Armpit mouths an 'oh' and scrunches his face up into concentration once more. Magnet snaps his fingers with a proud grin.  
"She could steal E-Tent's shower tokens!"  
"E-Tent ain't got no tokens, they've been playin' some bad games of poker and lost 'em all. Plus, that's too easy. We've gotta make it difficult." X-Ray explains. Magnet looks down at the floor, disappointed before Squid gives Clarity a harsh smirk.  
"She could draw on A-Tent's faces tonight and throw all their belongings into a hole." He says slowly, rubbing his hands together.

Clarity gasps and her eyes widen. He had to be kidding. Caveman was also wearing a similar expression. X-Ray rubs his chin, pondering the idea before finally clapping his hands together and grinning at Squid.  
"Yeah, that's good Squid! Just one problem…" Squid's face drops and X-Ray continues. "We ain't got a marker."  
The tent groans in disappointment, all except Clarity who can't help but sigh in relief. She had been spared. Suddenly though, Magnet grabs her bag from her crate and holds it up.  
"Wait! Our little chica here has a tube of lipstick in her bag!" He announces, shaking the bag in his hands. A large smile spreads across X-Ray's face.  
"Even better!" D-Tent's leader exclaims. Clarity's mouth drops into an 'O' shape as she stares at Magnet.  
"You. Looked. Through. My. Bag?" She asks slowly, shocked. Was there no such thing as privacy in this God forsaken place? Magnet frowns at her and returns the bag back to the crate he had retrieved it from. He pats Clarity reassuringly on top of her head.  
"Calm down, chica. Just the front pouch." Magnet says, waving it off. Clarity continues to stare at him until groaning and covering her face with her hands.  
"It's settled then. Tonight, the girl will sneak into A-Tent and do her thing." She could hear X-Ray declare and the rest of the tent laugh. She could suddenly feel somebody's warm breath against her ear and her heart fastens.  
"Payback's a bitch, ain't it?" The boy hisses. Squid.

**X.X.X.X.X**

The dark tent was silent. No snores, no murmers, no anything. Just silence. D-Tent were all tucked into their cots but were far from sleeping. Clarity lay in her cot, facing the tent's ceiling. Her heart was on overdrive and her breathing was uneven. She didn't want to do this. What if she got caught? What would A-Tent do to her? What would Mr. Sir do to her? What would _Aunt Lou_ do to her? Clarity rubs her fingers against her lipstick tube under her sheets nervously. Maybe she should of let Squid kiss her last night. Maybe then she wouldn't be in this mess. With a sigh, the girl tosses in her cot so she was facing Zigzag. He was watching her with those animated blue eyes. Clarity stares back, her mouth pursed shut. This went on for what she guessed was half an hour before she heard X-Ray cough twice from somewhere in the tent. That was the signal. Clarity takes a few deep breaths before quietly slipping out of her cot. She was fully dressed, right down to her heavy, black boots. She then begins to creep across the tent towards the exit. As she did so, she could hear Zigzag whispering to her.  
"Be careful, A-Tent's a crazy bunch." He warns. Clarity swallows a lump in her throat and ducks out of the tent. Well that really calmed her down.

The night air was cool against Clarity's bare cheeks as she tiptoed her way towards A-Tent. She studies the barren land for a quick moment before continuing. The camp was deserted. The girl finally finds herself outside of A-Tent and she holds her breathe, listening. She could here the boys even breathing when she pressed her ear against the tent and this relieved her a bit. Taking a beat to steady herself, Clarity gets down onto her hands and knees and crawls into the tent. She hesitates at the flap, making sure that the tent was all truly asleep before continuing her army crawl all the way to the other end of A-Tent. _I can't believe I'm doing this_ she thinks, slowly raising herself up to her feet. Clarity takes the time to scan her victims. She had seen mostly all of them around the camp compound. The majority of them had ignored her and pretended that she wasn't there. She turns towards the nearest cot and unscrews the cap to the lipstick with her sweaty palms. With a shaky hand, Clarity edges the lipstick closer to the A-Tenter's face until the tip gently hit his left cheek. She freezes, waiting for the boy to wake. When realizing that it was safe to continue. Clarity slides the lipstick across the boy's face. She worked as fast as she could, desperately wanting to return to her own tent. When she finished with her first victim, she grabs his bag from the crate next to his cot and continues down the aisle.

It got easier to sabotage each boys face as Clarity neared the end and she began to calm down. As soon as she grabbed the last boy's bag, she takes a moment to admire her work. Some she had given round, rosy cheeks and curly moustaches while others had words such as 'loser' and 'A-Tent Scumbag' written across their forehead. Clarity smiles slightly to herself and nods, her hands full of A-Tent's bags.  
"Enjoy the makeover, boys." She whispers before swiftly ducking out of the tent. She begins to back up, still smirking towards the tent, silently laughing. Now to get rid of the bags. Clarity spins on her heel and begins to make her way out into the cluster of holes.  
"Where do ya think you're goin', princess?"  
Her heart drops into her stomach and she could feel another lump building in her throat. Slowly, Clarity turns around, her eyes as big as saucers. There was Mr. Sir in a nightshirt and boxers, scowling at her. The light from a flashlight in his right hand illuminated her fearful face and Mr. Sir smirks.  
"Where you headin' with those bags, huh? Goin' to go have a slumber party?"

Clarity drops the bags onto the ground and opens her mouth to try and explain herself.  
"Mr. Sir, I-I-"  
Mr. Sir laughs bitterly and takes a step forward. He kicks one of the bags before looking up at Clarity once again.  
"You know, I bet the Warden would love to hear about this!" He muses, tapping his index finger against his chin. Clarity's skin turns white. Not Aunt Lou. Anything but that. Clarity had to think fast or else she would have to face _her_. And who knew what _she_ would do? Now in panic mode, she uses the first thing that popped into her mind.  
"No, wait, Mr. Sir! Let me explain! You see…I'm a sleepwalker! Yeah! See, sometimes when I'm stressed out I'll just start sleepwalking!" She stutters quickly. Mr. Sir furrows his eyebrows and lowers the flashlight beam.  
"What?" He grunts. Clarity laughs nervously and continues. Obviously it was working.  
"This one time, right before a big math test, I took all the food out of the pantry and hid it under my bed. Crazy, huh?"  
Mr. Sir's eyes narrow into slits and turns off his flashlight. Clarity watched him, holding her breath. Did he believe her? After what seemed like centuries, he grunts and begins to back away towards his cabin.  
"Get back to your tent and no more sleepwalkin' or I'll put a hurt on ya." He growls before turning and trudging back to his cabin.

Clarity let's out a sigh of relief and wipes away some sweat from her forehead. That had been way too close. She watched Mr. Sir retreat to his cabin before noticing a nearby hole. She sneaks a glance at Mr. Sir's cabin, making sure that he wasn't watching before punting the pile of rucksacks into the hole and smiles. She had completed her initiation. She had done it. Clarity sucks in her chest with pride and sprints back to D-Tent, feeling proud. Of course, throwing a bunch of kid's bags into a hole wasn't really something to feel proud about but she did anyway. Quickly, she ducks into the tent to find the rest of the boys sitting up in their beds, watching her with questioning eyes. Clarity scans the group with a small smile before nodding. Group D begins to cheer in hushed voices and X-Ray pats her on the back.  
"Not bad, girl. Not bad at all."

**Reviews are love!! =]  
-Ziggy**


	6. I Will Survive

**FINALLY! God, this chapter took me a loongggggg time! I think I might've gotten carried away but oh well! Thanks to everybody who reviewed! They make me smile and keep me going! I put a little shoutout to .OhGravity. in too! I couldn't think of a nickname for this one kid so I'm like: "eh, what the hell? Gravity it is!" xD; anyways read on my people!  
DISCLAIMER: I do nay own Holes (Louis Sachar), Little Axe or....nope that's about it. But I DO own Radar and Andrew so HAH! STICK THAT IN YOUR JUICEBOX AND SUCK IT!**

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR FACE?"  
Clarity sat upright in her cot, eyes wide. Her eyes dart around the tent, looking for the source of the scream. The others boys were rubbing their eyes and grinning at one another. X-Ray winks at her from across the room, slowly climbing out of his cot. That's when the events from last night resurfaced in Clarity's mind and she can't help but grin. A-Tent was awake.  
"WHO DID THIS?" One of the boys screamed angrily from outside. Clarity chuckles lightly, sliding out of her sheets and grabbing her boots from under the cot. She didn't even care that it was 4:30 in the morning. Suddenly, the flap to D-Tent is pulled back and a fuming A-Tenter with lipstick smeared across his face stomps inside in nothing but his boxers. Group D bursts into hysterics; even Zero cracked a grin when seeing that boy's face.  
"THIS AIN'T FUNNY! I KNOW YOU D-TENT NEANDERTHALS DID THIS!" He shrieks in a high-pitched voice. Armpit throws his hands up in defence, roaring. He waits for a few seconds for his laughter to die down before speaking.  
"No way, Skunk. D-Tent didn't do it. I heard Wrench from C-Tent talkin' about it last night though."  
The boy named Skunk glares at Armpit before storming out of the tent, yelling and hollering. As the boys dressed, they continued to laugh and do impersonations of Skunk's high screams. All except for Squid who glared at Clarity with what seemed to be the intensity of a thousand suns.

"Comin' Radar?" X-Ray calls, stalling by the tent flap. It took Clarity a few moments to realize that Group D's leader was speaking to her. Her eyes widen and she can't help but grin. She had a nickname just like everybody else.  
"Uhm, yeah. Just a sec!" She smiles. _Radar_ smiles. She quickly ties her laces into knots before hoisting her sore body to its feet and making her way out of the tent with the rest of the boys. Magnet continually repeated her name, trying it out on his tongue. Zigzag was staring intently at her, nodding approvingly.  
"You're a brave one, Radar." He mutters. Squid looks hard at him before letting out an aggravated growl. The group stops and stares at him.  
"What the hell is this? Four days and she's already got you group of morons wrapped around her pinkie? Oh she drew on a couple o' clowns faces! Big deal!" Squid yells, pointing his finger in Radar's face. She was tempted to bite it but refrained from doing so. Caveman frowns slightly.  
"But Squid, it was your idea." He points out. Everyone else nods and Magnet even wrapped his arm around Radar's shoulder. "Radar's our friend, Squid. She's cool." The Hispanic boy grins. Squid's mouth drops for a millisecond before he stomped off towards the 'library', swearing under his breath. X-ray sighs and shakes his head.  
"I'll go calm him down." He mumbles before jogging off to catch up with Squid.  
Radar rolls her eyes with a slight frown, filing into the line for shovels. What was up with that boy? She refused to kiss him, big deal? Zigzag was the one that had stopped him, not her.

"Stupid Squid and his stupid grudge…" She mumbles to herself, grabbing a shovel. Somebody snorts from behind her and Radar whips around, surprised and embarrassed. Zigzag stared back at her with the same look as last night in their cots. He pushes a stray curl out of his line of vision before slumping forward, out into the barren land to dig.  
"Talkin' to yourself?" He asks. Radar could hear a smirk in his voice and her cheeks redden. She sprints to catch up with him, her shovel slung over her shoulder. Zigzag was dragging his against the ground, his canteen banging against his leg with every step he took.  
"Squid's just making me mad…" She explains, groaning. Zig nods in understandment, his eyes focusing out on the dozens of holes ahead of them. They walked in silence to their digging site, Radar listening to Squid rant a few yards behind her. Mr. Sir led the group a few miles out until stopping them and showing each of them where to dig. He then drove off in his truck but not before reminding her that this wasn't a Girl Scouts Camp.

Radar stared hard at the untouched soil, hesitating to begin her hole. She wasn't quite as tender as yesterday but didn't feel much better. Quietly moaning to herself, she places the tip of her shovel into a crack in the soil and jumps onto the blade. The shovel sinks a few inches into the ground under Radar's weight.  
"You don' talk much." A voice muses from behind her, startling her. With a yelp, she spins around to find Zigzag towering over her, playing with his thick, black gloves. Was it just her or was he acting weirder than usual? Not sure on whether she was supposed to reply or not, Radar shrugs her shoulders. She really had nothing to say most of the time. Feeling awkward, she goes back to her shovel that was left jammed in the dirt. Radar grasps the shaft and pulls out a clod of dirt, unable to hold down a low moan in pain. Her hands were covered with bloody, raw blisters and it sent a shear of pain through her if she even touched the shovel.  
"Here." Zigzag says from behind her, gently grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around to face him. He then shoves his gloves into her hand and returns to his digging area.  
"Thanks." Radar says, surprised. She slides them onto her dainty hands and wiggles her fingers. Armpit grins at her, carrying a clod of dirt away from his hole.  
"Hasn't callused over yet, huh?"  
Radar glances at him with a lopsided smile.  
"Nope."  
"Don't worry, soon it will. Won't feel a thing." Magnet assures and Radar's smile grows. Finally, she was being accepted.

**X.X.X.X**

"Oh diggers let's go down, let's go down, let's go down. Oh diggers let's go down, down to the valley to pray." Radar sings quietly under her breath as she sticks her shovel into the soil. That had been her and Andrew's song. Whenever Radar had gotten herself into trouble with her parents or classmates, he would always whisper the words into her ear. _Oh sinners let's go down, let's go down, let's go down. Oh sinners let's go down, down to the valley to pray._ She smiles softly at the memory. Even when she had gotten old enough where she didn't need comforting, Andrew would still hum the tune softly every so often. They had been so close, the two. If Andrew was hauling wood or working outside, there was Radar, trying with all her might to copy his actions.  
"Show me the way, good lord show me the way…"  
Tears brimmed in her eyes as the final memory of her brother sliced through her like a knife.

_Clarity Simmons stared down on the hospital bed, her face burning with tears. There he was. There was her brother, machines surrounding him and tubes snaking up his body. There he lay, legally brain-dead. Brain-dead. No matter how many times Clarity told herself that, she just couldn't believe it. His chest still moved up and down with every breath he took, even if machines were doing it for him. She laced her trembling fingers with his, mumbling their song to herself. As she did so, Clarity glanced up at her parents who were standing on the opposing side of the bed, sobbing. Her mother was intertwined with her father, her long, red hair in tangles. It had been five days since anybody in the Simmons's family had slept. They were always by the side of their dying loved one.  
Brain-dead.  
__Sometimes Clarity would pretend that Andrew was only in a deep sleep and that he'd wake up soon and they'd go home and laugh about the whole thing. But now she knew that that was never going to happen. Andrew J. Simmons was officially brain-dead. In a matter of minutes, he would be unplugged and his organs would be donated to those who needed them. Brian and Darcy Simmons would go home with one less child._

_Clarity could hear her mothers sobs become more violent as the doctor's entered the room and begin to prepare Andrew for surgery. Any minute now, he would be officially gone, his organs shipped off to different parts of the country. Slowly, wiping away a stray tear, she let's go of her brother's hand. As the doctor's wheeled the bed out of the room, she could feel a set of eyes boring into her skin. Hesitantly, she looks up to see her father staring at her, his eyes burning with hatred.  
_"_You killed him." He sneers, pulling his wife closer to him. Clarity could feel her throat tighten up and shock pulsing through her.  
_"_I didn't…" She whispers in a shaky voice. Now her mother had joined in on the glaring game, staring at her with icy blue eyes. Her eyes dart from face to face before letting out a sob and burying her face in her hands.  
_"_You're not my child." Her father hisses and Clarity could feel her knees give out and she found herself broken on the floor, drowning in her own tears._

"Yo Radar!"  
Radar jumps at the mention of her name and looks up to see the rest of D-Tent slugging off towards the water truck and Armpit motioning for her to come. Had she really been that deep in thought that she hadn't realized the water truck had arrived? Wiping away a tear with one of Zigzag's gloves, she steps out of her 'hole', if you could call it that, and slowly makes her way towards the back of the line. She keeps her head down as she files in behind Caveman, trying to hide her swollen eyes and stained cheeks. The last thing she needed was to end up being the outcast after only a few hours of actually being accepted.  
"Are you okay, Radar?" Asks Caveman, concern in his voice. Radar looks up at him and struggles a smile.  
"Yeah, a bunch of sand blew into my face. That's all." She lies, rubbing at her large, green eyes. She could tell by the look on Caveman's face that he didn't believe her little lie but surprisingly didn't call her out on it. Instead, he patted her gently on the back and turned around so he was facing Dr. Pendanski. As she waited for her water, she couldn't help but wonder how somebody so sweet and understanding as Caveman could've ended up here. He didn't seem like the criminal type, unlike Squid or X-Ray who she could totally see on a 'Wanted' poster. Once her canteen was filled, Radar casually makes her way back to her hole, continuing to sing.  
"Oh diggers, let's go down, let's go down. Let's go down…" She hums, feeling a lot better now that she was hydrated. As she stalked past Squid's hole, she hears him call out in excitement.  
"Hey look! A cloud!"

Radar instantly halts and looks up at the sky, searching for Squid's cloud. Her eyes finally scope out a small, pitiful cloud and she smiles to herself, despite how pathetic it was. "Right there!" Squid exclaims, pointing up towards the sky. Radar can't help but giggle at how silly his accent sounded, only to receive a sharp look from him a few seconds later.  
"Maybe it'll move infront of the sun." Zigzag muses from his own hole.  
"Maybe." Radar mumbles, retreating to her hole with her eyes still glued to the cloud.  
"Come on little cloud, you can do it!" Magnet encourages, as if it would actually help. Now E-Tent, who was digging a few yards away, were also cheering on the sad excuse for a cloud and Radar laughs, shaking her head.  
"Please, all I'm asking for is just a _little_ shade." Armpit heaves.  
"The Warden owns the shade, man." Caveman grunts while removing a large rock out of his hole. She grimaces at the mention of her Aunt but says nothing. How could Aunt Lou _own_ the shade is what she wanted to ask?  
"Maybe we'll get lucky, maybe we'll get some clouds!" Zigzag calls with a slight smile. "It'll rain for forty days and forty nights."  
Radar laughs, shovelling out some dirt from her hole. Okay, they ALL must've caught heat stroke but she liked to dream.

"Yeah, and we'll have to build an ark. Get two of each animal." Armpit adds.  
"Yeah, two scorpions, two rattlesnakes, two yellow spotted lizards." X-Ray smiles, making his way into the conversation. Radar shakes her head, enjoying the little distraction.  
"How about we leave the lizards? They don't serve a purpose." She advises and Group D chuckles. "Hey Radar, why do you gotta be hatin' on the lizards?" X-Ray teases, taking a sip of his canteen. She merely smiles and goes back to focusing on her growing hole. She liked being apart of the conversations and ignoring Squid's constant glowers was getting easier.  
"Hey, what you got there, Caveman?" Magnet calls, climbing out of his hole. Curiosity floods into Radar's body and she glances over at Caveman's hole. He was leaned over something, studying it carefully and wiping away dirt. When hearing his name, he looks up surprised at Magnet, tightening his grip on whatever he had found.  
"What?"  
"What you got there?" Magnet repeats, trying to get a closer look at the object. Caveman mumbles something before hesitantly looking over at X-Ray who had been watching them with interest. "Hey X, I think I might've found something." He calls, holding up his 'treasure'. X-Ray jumps out of his whole and stalks over to Caveman's hole. Radar raises an eyebrow, climbing out of her hole. What was going on? She joins the huddle just as X-Ray grabs the object out of Caveman's hand and holds it up to get a better look. It glistened in the sunlight and was gold in colour but Radar couldn't be sure if it was actual gold.  
"It looks like an old shotgun shell…" X-Ray mumbles, continuing to study it until Squid grabs it out of his hands and does his own evaluation.  
"No man, it's too skinny to be a shotgun shell." He declares, the other boys agreeing. Radar watched the golden object be passed around with interested, wanting to take a look at it herself. She glances over to her right to see Zigzag staring at the thing with curious eyes.

"Look at this, see the little heart? See that? The letters in it? Right there?" Caveman asks, studying what Radar now confirmed was a tube of some sort with X-Ray watching over his shoulder. "K.B." Zigzag grabs the tube and looks over the engraving, Radar huddling close to him to take a look herself. "Yeah, that's Keith Barrenger." He finally announces, shaking the tube in his hand. Radar looks up at him, surprised. How would Zigzag know that?  
"Man, who's that?" Armpit questions, obviously thinking the same thing as her. Zigzag looks up at the larger boy with a loopy grin.  
"He was in my math class." He responds and the others laugh.  
"Yeah, good thinking Zigzag. It must belong to him, huh?" Magnet jokes, shaking his head. Radar snickers and Zigzag glances at her with his lopsided smile as if to say 'It's possible!' X-Ray grabs the tube and rises, again holding it up to the sun.  
"Maybe I'll show it to Mom. Maybe I'll get the rest of the day off." He shrugs, beginning to walk back to his hole.  
"Rest of the day off? No, no! You're hole's already dug! I'm not even close! I'm going to be out here all day!" Caveman exclaims, jumping to his feet. Radar bites her lip nervously as X-Ray gets into his face.  
"Yeah, so?" He says harshly.

Radar watches anxiously from her kneeling position as Caveman hesitates to respond, looking away. Finally though, he returns his gaze to X-Ray and stutters some words out.  
"So, uh w-why don't you uh, why don't you just turn it in tomorrow? You know, give it to Mom in the morning? Then you get the whole day off."  
X-Ray chews on this for a few moments before nodding with a smirk.  
"That's good thinking Caveman. I like it." He chuckles, slapping Caveman's stomach before turning to leave.  
"Pretty smart, Caveman! Pretty smart." Squid nods, tapping the beak of Caveman's hat. Radar sighs, standing up. She didn't see how it was fair that X-Ray got the tube. It didn't make sense to her. Caveman was the one who had found it. She gives him a soft smile before heading off to her hole to continue to dig. As she did so, she made a mental note to never show X-Ray if she ever found anything. Even if he was leader.

**X.X.X.X**

Once again, Radar was out digging far past after everyone else went back to the camp compound. When she had dragged her body back, she gone and taken a quick shower. It was four minutes of heaven. She savoured every second she had under the cold water and almost screamed when the water was abruptly turned off. With a groan, she grabs her clean set of clothes from her bag and slides them on. As she dressed, she began to think back to this morning. Four days, Squid has said. Four days since she had arrived. It seemed more like four months to Radar. "Oh diggers let's go down…" She begins, gathering up her 'work' clothes and opening the stall door.  
"Let's go-OH MY GOD!"  
Startled, Radar jumps back into the stall. There stood Zigzag, his hands behind his back as if he was some kind of butler. He stares at her, deadpan for a long while before finally speaking.  
"What song is that?" He asks calmly, stepping off to the side to let her out of the shower stall. Radar calms a bit and steps out, her dirty clothes tucked under her arm. Zigzag looks at her, waiting for an answer.  
"I…don't know." She finally admits, beginning to slowly stalk back to the tent. With two long strides, Zigzag catches up and matches her pace.  
"Oh." He mumbles. Radar sighs.  
"It was a song my brother used to sing to me." She whispers, looking up at Zigzag. He looks down at her with sympathetic, blue eyes.

"Look at that, Gravity. That's the physco I was tellin' you about. He follows her around like a puppy!" Somebody laughs from behind them. The two turn around to find a couple of other campers smirking at them. One, who she guessed was 'Gravity', was a small built, blonde boy with a set of clothes in his arms. He was probably new. The other was taller and had a more muscular build to him. His long hair was gelled back and his face was caked with dirt. Radar, with reddened cheeks, looks up at Zigzag to find him staring at the two with the familiar lifeless expression. The blonde, Gravity, snorts and gives Zigzag a wry smile.  
"He looks crazy to me." He nods. And without another word, Radar watched in shock as Zigzag's fist collided with Gravity's jaw, causing a sickening crack. The new kid falls the ground with a shriek of pain and his companion kneels down to assist him. Radar watches the two in horror for a moment before glancing at Zigzag. He looks down at them with his intent eyes.  
"I'm not crazy." He states simply before turning around and heading back to the tent.

**R&R all of my lovely readers,  
Ziggy  
(P.S., honey-covered tortilla shell's are awesome! n_n that is all!)**


	7. Unwell

**Chapter seven! Wow, I never thought I'd ever get this far. Is it sad that this is probably the farthest I've gotten in any of my stories? I think it is xD. Hopefully I'll be going on an updating spree during Christmas break but I can't be sure. NOW I'm going to shout out to all my amazing reviewers!  
Smeghead: Oh wow, thank! That made me smile! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! :D -gives you cookie-  
crazayfunkaymunkay: I UPDATED! HAPPY?! xD; haha thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!  
.OhGravity.: Yeah, sorry your character had to be a jerk though :P. Hehe, thank-you sooo much! Good luck with 'Three Little Words' and update soon!  
Rubii: Oh thanks! That was one of my favorite chapters to write ^_^. mhm, they're a little sweet but pretty good all around. -thumbs up-  
ZealousZoe': Psh, you don't owe me anything! And thank-you! I'm so glad you like the story! And yes, I'm planning to use Squid's anger in some major plot points. xD. And yes, Zigzag is already yummy!  
myxdearestxapollo: Oh wow, thanks! That means alot! I'm glad you think so! I've been trying to get each of the boy's perfect. :P I'm glad you like it!  
Pixiex: Haha, thanks! It means so much to me! I hope you like this chapter!  
-Zandris-: Oh, thanks! Yeah, I think it makes it much easier to read. -gives you gingerbread- n_n**

**Okay, I'm almost done! This chapter is dedicated to ZealousZoe' and .OhGravity. who are awesome people! And writers! You should check out their fanfics 'Three Little Words' (by .OhGravity.) and 'Nobody's Fool' (by ZealousZoe'). Hope you guys like this chapter! :D**

"Uh, Zigzag?"

Radar cautiously slides into the tent, biting her lower lip. She wasn't sure on exactly how she'd find him. Maybe he would be yelling angrily and punching the tent walls or crying in the corner or…reading? Radar's eyes widen and her hands drop to her sides. There Zigzag lay, on his cot, reading some sort of book with interest gleaming in his exquisite blue eyes. Okay, she knew he wasn't much for showing expression, but seriously? READING? "Huh?" He grunts, his eyes focused on the page. Radar takes another step into the otherwise empty tent, unsure on what to say. She felt like she _had_ to follow him back. Just leaving him seemed…rude and what if it hurt his feelings? Taking a deep breath, she finally opens her mouth to speak.

"What are you reading?" She blurts out and rolls her eyes at her lame conversation skills. Zigzag flips the page of his pamphlet with his thumb before responding in a monotone voice. "TV Guide." That seems about right, Radar thinks. He does spend the majority of his night watching the broken television set in the Wreck Hall. Sighing, she slowly makes her way towards Zigzag, sitting herself down on the cot next to his. He had been there for her and now she was going to be there for him. Or she'd at least try.  
"That's Squid's cot." Zigzag informs her, not even looking up from his precious TV Guide. Radar grimaces and looks down at the cot she was seated on only to realize that he was right. There lay Squid's toothpick stash atop of his pillow in a small, wooden box and a foul smelling towel with 'Squid' written on it with a black, permanent marker. She begins to pull herself to her feet, guessing that somehow he would be able to tell she had been there and hate her even more.

"I won't tell him." Zigzag promises, glancing at her for a split second before going back to his guide. Radar nods, despite the fact that he wasn't paying attention, and sits herself back down. Her eyes wander around the tent, searching for words. She could leave. Zigzag was all right. He didn't need her. But he hadn't left her in the hole when she had requested so…

"So…anything good on?" She asks, ending the conflict going on inside her mind.

"ER." He replies in the same, distracted voice. Radar sighs once again. How could comforting somebody be so hard?

"Is there a problem, Radar?" He asks, gazing at her with a deadpan expression. Radar blushes and begins to fiddle with a strand of her long, chestnut hair uncomfortably.

"Uh…no. I just thought maybe…you…had a problem?" She stutters out and Zigzag's expression hardens as he closes his TV Guide. Uh-ho. Wrong thing to say.

"I don't have a problem. Maybe you're the one who has a mental problem."

Radar blinks, her mouth open as if she was about to speak. But she was frozen. Zigzag continues stares at her, his facial expression almost identical to the one that Squid wore anytime he was around her.

"I didn't mean…a mental problem. I meant…well…" Radar trails off, feeling her limbs begin to thaw out. "Do you want to…talk?"

Now it was Zigzag's turn to blush. His eyes soften and his cheeks turn a crimson colour and Radar can't help but sigh in relief. She was back on his good side.

"No." Zigzag finally mutters, once more opening his guide and leafing through the pages until deciding on one. Radar's shoulders slump in disappointment. _So close…_ she thinks with a tinge of sadness. Zigzag was such a complex person. In some ways he reminded her of herself. Like the way he seemed to be hiding himself behind a façade. She watches his eyes scan the pages of his pamphlet in silence before speaking once again.

"Are you sure?"

"There's nothing to talk about." He answers with his usual dead tone. Groaning in defeat, Radar rises to her feet and stalks over to her own cot, flopping down in exhaustion. There was really no use in fighting with him. Really, where would that lead?

"Sorry." She mumbles, closing her eyes and folding her aching arms behind her head. She was drained. Both physically _and _mentally. She was on the verge of sleep when she heard Zigzag begin to speak once more.

"What's your favourite show?" He asks, flipping the page of his television guide. Radar smiles to herself and slowly opens her eyes to gaze at Zigzag.

"The Office." She confirms, nodding. Her companion flips another page with a dreamy expression.

"Sometimes I can find that on the TV." Zigzag muses; nodding his head and Radar stifles a laugh. He reminded her of a bobble head with his long neck and wild, blonde hair.

"Esto no tiene sentido! Ese cabrón es a fuera por todos nosotros!" A heavy Mexican accent booms from outside the tent flap before it is pulled back, only to reveal a fuming Magnet acompanied by Armpit. Radar watches with wide eyes as the usually cheery D-Tenter stomps into the tent, cursing in Spanish. Half of her wished that he would speak in English so that she knew what was going on and the other half was glad that he was speaking gibberish, not sure if she exactly _wanted_ to know what Magnet was saying.

"Asesoramiento de grupo? ¿Qué es esto? Grado escuela? ¡Maldita sea!"

Armpit chuckles lightly and pats the smaller boy on the back before noticing Radar watching with a confused expression.

"Magnet ain't exactly a fan of Mom's discussion groups." He explains, putting air quotients around the words 'discussion groups' and Radar nods in understandment. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the event either. She continues to watch Magnet thrash about and Armpit attempt to calm him down in amusement before Zigzag lightly tapped her on the back.

"Let's go." He says quietly with those animated blue eyes gazing at her contently. Radar glances in Magnet's direction for the last time before slowly raising herself to her feet and making her way towards the exit with Zigzag.

As she followed Zigzag towards the lone, rundown Mess Hall she guessed was where Dr. Pendanski held his weekly discussion groups, Radar noticed a few of her fellow D-Tenters heading in the same direction. Even Magnet whom had to be dragged out of the tent by Armpit and still continued to complain in Spanish.

"Me niego a participar en la Mamá estúpido tortura juegos. Él puede ir meter sus grupos de discusión por el culo." He grumbles, taking long strides in the general direction of Pendanski's office and Squid groans from behind him.

"Man, can somebody please shut him up?" He growls lowly, sending Magnet a menacing scowl. X-Ray slaps the country boy on the back with a smirk.

"What's been up with you lately, Squidly? You've been so…touchy."

A few of them laugh and Radar looks down at the ground as she walked, blushing. As soon as X-Ray had said that, she knew that Squid had shifted his death glare towards her. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin.

**X.X.X.X**

"Radar, you'll sit here." X-Ray beams, leading the girl towards a bench that had been pulled up into the circle. He pulls her down onto the seat before sitting down beside her, waiting for Pendanski. Even the discussion groups had a distinct seating arrangement. There was a large, wooden chair placed at one side of the 'circle' which Radar guessed was where Pendanski sat. To the left of it, was the bench she was seated on in between X-Ray and Zigzag. Caveman sat at the opposite end of the bench, next to Zero who was slouched over in a rickety old barstool. Then somebody had pulled over another bench where Squid, Magnet and Armpit lounged. Radar listened contently to the conversations going on in the circle before turning to Zigzag who had been staring into space for the last few minutes.  
"So what exactly do we talk about?" She asks quietly and the taller boy looks down at her and shrugs a shoulder.  
"Usually Mom just tells our life is going nowhere and throws in a question here and there." He replies with sigh before going back into his own little world. The door to the Mess Hall is swung open and in walks Dr. Pendanski, his signature goofy grin plastered across his sun burnt face.

"Good evening D-Tent!" He greets and Radar could hear Magnet begin to cuss in Spanish under his breath again. A few of the boys mumble a pathetic greeting, averting their eyes to the floor as their guidance counsellor struts towards their circle and plops himself down on his chair. He continues to smile at Group D for a few seconds before setting his gaze on Radar.

"Ah, Clarity! Welcome to group discussion! Now don't be shy about answering the questions because there are no stupid answers!" Pendanski exclaims, clasping his hands together. X-Ray folds his arms across his chest with an annoyed look.

"Yo Mom, that ain't Clar-it-y. That's Radar, aight?"

Pendanski frowns at D-Tent's leader, shaking his head before clearing his throat and once more spreading his fake smile across his face.

"Now tonight, we will be talking about things we're good at! You see, each of you have a special talent and that talent will help you in a certain career and turn you lot into hardworking members of society." He explains and Armpit snorts but otherwise says nothing.

"Now who would like to start?"

Nobody says anything and Pendanski's smile falters for a second. He waits for somebody to raise their hand for a few seconds but when realizing that he wasn't going to receive the enthusiatic reaction he was hoping for, sighs.

"I suppose I'll choose then…" Pendanski mutters in dissapointment, his eyes sweeping over D-Tent before finally resting on Radar.

"How about you start, Clarity?" He finally says with a hopeful expression. Radar shrugs. "Sure." Pendanski gives her a toothy grin and reaches over to pat her on the shoulder which made a few of the boys laugh and whisper some inappropriate things in one another's ears.

"Great! So what are you good at?"

Radar ponders this for moment. What _was_ she good at? Her coach had begged her to join the volleyball team but she had never been much for sports. She had always considered herself a good listener too but she was sure that that wasn't the kind of answer Dr. Pendanski was looking for.

"Writing." Radar finally says in a thoughtful voice. Pendanski nods and scribbles something down on his clipboard.

"Interesting. Now does anybody have any career suggestions for Clarity that would have to do with writing?"

"An author." Caveman offers.

"A journalist." Zigzag says quietly, giving her a small smile.

"A teacher!" Magnet grins.

Radar can't help but curl her lip in disgust at the last career option and Magnet winks at her. "Do you like any of those jobs, Clarity?" Pendanski asks, still jotting away on his clipboard. Radar takes a moment to evaluate her suggestions before finally deciding on one.

"I like Zigzag's." She replies and Zigzag can't help but grin and puff out his chest with pride. The rest of the discussion went on in this manner. Pendanski would pick somebody from the group and ask them what they were good at and then the rest of them would list a few careers that would require that skill. A few of the boys had said something silly like X-Ray.

"Obviously not running because the cops caught me pretty fast."

Others had tooken it seriously and Zero hadn't said anything at all. He just glared at Pendanski before looking down at his shoes. At last, it was Zigzag's turn and Radar was eager to learn his 'secret talent'.

"Alright Ricky, what about you? What is something you're good at?" Pendanski smiles at the crazy-haired boy, his pen positioned on his clipboard. Zigzag's face scrunches up in thought as D-Tent watched him anxiously. Slowly, his expression relaxes and he gazes at his guidance counsellor with a blank look.

"Nothing." He mumbles, causing Dr. Pendanski to frown. "Surely you must be good at something, Ricky."

Ziggy shakes his head 'no' wearily. Pendanski sighs in frustration and leans back in his seat, relaxing his hand.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised…you've never seen all there. Perhaps that's why you lost your mind. You never had anything of interest to keep yourself sane." He muses and Radar notices Zigzag's fist begin to clench and unclench and his gaze harden. Pendanski seems to notice this too because a wry smile begins to creep across his face.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"Hey, lay off Mom!" Caveman says, feeling the tension begin to build inside the room.

"Yeah, you're bein' cold Mom." X-Ray agrees, glancing at Zigzag, nervously. Zigzag's wild eyes were locked with Pendanski's, anger burning in them.

"I'm not insane." He says in a dangerously quiet voice and the smirk is wiped clean off of Pendanski's smug face. He clears his throat and claps his hands together.

"Uh…alright D-Tent! I think that's good for tonight. I'll see you all next week, around the same time."

As soon as the words left the guidance counsellor's mouth, Radar watched as Zigzag sat up and quickly stalked out of the mess hall without saying another word.

**X.X.X.X**

"_Give me the keys, Claire." _

_Clarity's grasp on the ring of keys tightens and she looks uncertainly into Andrew's bloodshot eyes. Music was blaring out of the oversized speakers and partygoers surrounded them. The stale smell of booze that met her every time her brother spoke was almost overwhelming. Her expression hardens._

"_No." She states. Andrew's eyebrows knit together and he slowly holds out his palm, waiting for the keys to his car._

"_Clarity, give them to me." He says in a stern voice. Clarity's grasp loosens slightly on the ring._

"_You're drunk." _

_The familiar, warm smile spreads across Andrew's pale face and she could feel herself losing the argument._

"_I'm fine, Claire. Please?" He slurs before attempting puppy dog eyes and Clarity slowly inches her hand with the keys towards his awaiting palm._

"_I…don't know." She mutters, glancing around anxiously at those who surrounded her. Andrew let's out a hearty laugh._

"_Don't worry! I'll be fine! And when April drops you off at home later, I'll kick your ass in a game of Super Smash Bros." He jokes and Clarity sighs in defeat, dropping the car key's into her brother's hand._

"_Okay." _

Radar shot up in her cot, cold sweat running down her face. She could feel tears welling in her eyes as she waits for her ragged breathing to steady out. It had only been a dream. A nightmare. Or maybe the correct term would be a flashback. Gulping back a sob, Radar's eyes dart around the tent to make sure that she hadn't waken anybody up only to find a tall, shadowy figure standing at the end of her cot. Her eyes snap upward to where she guessed was the head, holding back a terrified scream.

"I burnt down my school." The figure says slowly in a familiar, monotone voice. Radar's face scrunches up in confusion but could feel her heartbeat returning to normal when realizing who it was.

"What?" She whispers, wiping away some sweat from her forehead with the back of her palm. Zigzag is silent for a few moments.

"That's what I did." He pauses, letting the words soak into Radar before continuing. "They said I was crazy. So I showed them crazy."

Radar stares up at him wide eyed, throat dry. "I'm sorry." She finally splutters out in a hoarse voice, not sure on what else to say. Another drag of silence.

"I'm not though, you know that right?"

Radar hesitates for a beat before finally deciding on admitting what she really thought of him.

"Yes. You're just…a little unwell."

Zigzag is quiet once more and after five minutes, Radar is sure that he had returned to his cot and went back to bed. Sighing, she slowly sinks back down into her thin, moth-eaten mattress, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep.

Soon, she could feel sleep clutching her once again and Radar let's out a yawn, waiting to be whisked away back to dreamland. But before that happened, she heard somebody from the end of her bed whisper something into the darkness.

"Just a little unwell…"

**I love that Matchbox 20 song. It always makes me think of Zigzag :( (Unwell by MB20 that is). Anyways, reviews are love and thanks for reading!**

**R&R,  
-Ziggy(Oh and I don't own Holes or anything else that is recognizable. Please don't sue me :). )**


	8. Dirty Little Secret

**I would like to point out that I was half-asleep when I wrote half of this so sorry if it sucks. :(. Not much ZigzagxRadar in this chapter but I think the next one will. Any ideas for it? I'm running out! GASP! hehehehe. I'm a dork. Anyways. Now to address all of the nice reviews cause I'm cool like that.  
ZealousZoe': Man, you are cool! Haha! xD; and yeah. Magnet is bitchin'! I love him. He's the reason I'm learning Spanish...well trying to! lmao!  
.OhGravity.: Yes, yes he is! But seriously, The Office is one of the best shows ever! xD; anywayssss...thank-you for the review! :D  
Smeggy: Thank-you! I appreciate that! :)  
crazayfunkaymunkay: GAH! ALYCE! xD. o.o -pretends that didn't happen-. Ooohhhh thank-you my fellow Ziggy lover! Much appreciated!  
Safira Rue Mellark: Haha, yeah I love that song. It makes me so sad. :(. Oh and I called Clarity's cot. IT'S MINE! -snatches it and runs away laughing like a maniac-  
This chapter is dedicated to crazayfunkayfunkay is was anticipating this chapter and made an AMAZING blend for the story (it's on my profile). So, I hope this chapter is up to your standards! Oh and you should check out her ZigzagxOC story 'Digging'. It's hilarious and great! :D **

Zigzag's eyes swept over his fellow D-Tenters, his shovel stuck into the loose dirt of his hole. "Water truck's coming in ten minutes." He announces with a blank expression.

From the time Radar had spent with him since arriving at Camp Green Lake, she had learnt never to doubt Zigzag. He was always right about everything. Always. Group D look up from their own holes long enough to witness X-Ray's reaction to Zigzag's statement. He grins and continues to slowly spoon dirt out of his own hole. With a sigh, Radar goes back to her long task. The sun had just come up and beads of sweat were already forming on her forehead. Once throwing her shovel of dirt onto her pile, she looks over at Caveman who was digging a few yards away.

"Do ya think Aunt-I mean, the Warden, will give X the day off?" She asks, trying to strike up a conversation. D-Tent had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole morning, anxious for X-Ray to 'find' the tube. The silence was terrible and Radar had had enough of it. Caveman looks up at her with a miserable look.

"I hope not…" He says quietly, not wanting their 'fearless leader' to hear him. That was another thing that had been bothering her. Why did _X-Ray_ get the tube? Caveman deserved the day off. He was so sweet and hardworking.

Radar rams her shovel into the soil in frustration; she eyes X-Ray's pathetic excuse for a hole. It was half the size of everybody else's and they had only been out their for two hours.

"He'll be out here during the hottest part of the day if the Warden doesn't like it." She grins and Caveman can't help but glow at the thought. "Serves him right."

The two chuckle softly, earning a glower from Squid. Ever since she had received a nickname, he had really brought the loathing up a notch. It really was getting old. Rolling her pale eyes, Radar grabs her canteen from beside her digging area and quickly finishes it off when noticing a cloud of dust approaching. Zigzag was once again, right.

"Water truck's comin'!" Magnet exclaims, throwing his shovel onto the parched dirt and climbing out of his hole. The rest of Group D follow his lead and file into their line as the truck comes to an abrupt halt by Armpit's hole, X-Ray in the front and Radar in the back behind Zero.

"Who's Andrew?" A timid voice asks quietly and Radar jumps back, startled. Had Zero just…spoken to her? She looks down at the smaller boy to find him staring at her with curious, brown eyes. Never during her time at Camp Green Lake had she heard Zero talk it was like…a miracle. Or apocalyptic. However you wanted to look at it. She blinks twice at him, shocked before finally gaining enough composure to reply.

"Uhm…what?" She says in a hoarse voice.

"Andrew. Who is he? You talk in your sleep about him." Zero says slowly in a quiet voice. Radar blushes and looks away, unable to meet his eyes. She really needed to stop talking in her sleep or else who knew what kind of secrets she'd spew. What if somebody found out that the Warden was her aunt? Then what? Pushing that terrible question to the back of her mind, Radar turns back to Zero who was stilling watching her with quizzical eyes.

"My brother." She murmers and Zero's face falls. "I'm sorry." He whispers and turns around before Radar could ask him why he was sorry. She didn't have to because it suddenly hit her. She was saying more than just names at night…

"Hey Mom! I think I found something!"

All eyes were now on X-Ray and Radar had no more time to panic.

"Come here for a second, I think I found something!" X-Ray calls, holding up the golden tube. Dr. Pendanski hands Squid back his empty canteen, which he had been about to fill, and takes long strides over to X-Ray's hole. He hands the guidance counsellor the tube, trying desperately to hide a smirk.

"It looks like a golden bullet or something, doesn't it?"  
Pendanski turns the object in his hands, studying it closely while D-Tent just watched, waiting to see what would happen next.

"It's nice, right?" X-Ray smirks while the water line circles around them. "I get the day off now, right?"

"You just might, I'm going to call the Warden." Pendanski replies, grabbing at his radio and bringing it up to his lips. The colour drains from Radar's face. Oh great, they were calling Aunt Lou out here. And she was the last person that the female youth wanted to see.

"Hey, Lou? You better get down here. I think we've got something." Pendanski says into the radio, studying the tube as he spoke. X-Ray beams.

"We've got something nice! We've got something nice!" He smiles in a high, excited voice.

"We've got something nice." Pendanski adds before releasing the speak button and smiling at X-Ray.

Dr. Pendanski quickly filled the rest of the canteens and told everybody to continue digging despite how piqued they were.

"But if I were you Rex," Pendanski had grinned, "I wouldn't dig too hard."

As they waited, Radar found herself digging slower than X-Ray. She was too focused on the approaching Chrysler to keep up her beat. What was Aunt Lou going to say to her? What was she going to do with X-Ray? What if she-

"Radar?"

Radar let's out a shriek and falls back into her shallow 'hole', the shovel landing on top of her. Rubbing the back of her neck, she looks up at her visitor. It was Zigzag, who was now staring at her with an amused expression. Irritation spreads across Radar's face.

"What?" She growls and Zigzag let's a small smile creep across his lips. "I forgot to give you these."

He holds up his black gloves before offering her his hand. Radar blushes, embarrassed over her little breakdown. "Sorry." She says with a weak smile before taking his hand. Zigzag pulls her up, hands her the gloves and shakes his head.

"And they call me crazy…" He sighs before returning to his own digging area just as the Chrysler pulls up.

Mr. Sir was driving. He was the first to exit the vehicle. The head counsellor swung the car door open with a smirk and a mouthful of sunflower seeds. He nods at Pendanski who was watching with a smug expression. Then it was like a movie. Slowly, the passenger door is opened. A pair of dark cowboy boots with turquoise rhinestones touches down onto the crusted dirt, followed by the owners. Miss Louanne Walker; Warden of Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Facility. Clarity Simmons's 'crazy' Aunt. Radar could feel her stomach drop as the tall redheaded woman strut by her hole, her eyes covered by a pair of sunglasses. She didn't even give her a passing glance. The Warden approaches Dr. Pendanski and grabs the tube from his hands, examining it infront of the sun. All of D-Tent seemed to hold their breath as they waited for the verdict. After half a minute, or to Radar, a century, Lou smiles lightly and stalks over to X-Ray's hole.

"Is this where you found it?" She asks in a southern drawl. X-ray's eyes dart around his digging area before beaming at the woman towering over him.

"Yes ma'am."

Radar watches anxiously as a slow smile creeps across her Aunt's face and she can't help but shudder. Louanne Walker had to be one of the most intimidating people she had ever met.

"Dr. Pendanski, drive X-Ray back to camp. Give him extra shower tokens and a snack."

X-Ray's already wide smile grows and Radar could here Caveman let out a quiet gasp from a few yards away.

"But first, fill everyone's canteen!" Lou adds in a louder voice for all of D-Tent to hear.

"I already filled them." Pendanski replies in his usual cheery tone. That obviously wasn't the right thing to say. Lou's head whips around and she blinks twice at Group D's counsellor, her smile fading. "Excuse me?" She says quietly with a bittersweet edge in her voice that made even Radar's neck hair stand up on end.

"I-I had already filled them when you drove up in the car." Pendanski repeats. Lou slides her sunglasses over her eyes once again, approaching him slowly.

"Excuse me? Did I ask you when you last filled them?"

"No you didn't but-"

"Excuse me. Now these fine boys and girl have been working hard. Don't you think that it just might be possible that they've taken a drink since you've filled their canteen?" Lou interrupts, irritated. Biting his lower lip, Pendanski gives her a hard look.

"It's possible." He says quietly, looking away.

"Oh, it's possible." Lou glances over towards the digging area and quickly; they begin to remove dirt from their holes, not wanting to upset the Warden even more.

"Caveman! Would you get over here, please?" She calls, putting on her friendly smile for the second time today. With wide eyes, Caveman scrambles out of his hole and towards the group of adults. He looked frightened and Radar couldn't really blame him. The male youth halts infront of Lou, removing his neon orange cap from his head.

"Now, did you by any chance take a drink since he filled you canteen?" She asks, fists glued to her hips. Hesitantly, Caveman glances over at Pendanski before replying.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I have plenty." He assures her in a shaky voice. Lou peels off her glasses, unsatisfied.

"Excuse me?" She says in a dangerously quiet tone and Caveman gulps.

"I-I might've uh, drunken some." He stutters, eyes darting around nervously. Lou nods, the smile returning to her freckled face.

"Thank-you. May I have your canteen, please?"

Caveman hands her his canteen as asked before Lou struts over to Pendanski who was wearing an expression of disgust. Grasping the plastic container with both hands, she shakes it in his face, the water sloshing about inside.

"Can you hear the empty spaces?" She growls, Pendanski's eyes flashing with irritation.

"Yes, I can hear." The guidance counsellor says through clenched teeth.

And with that, she shoves the canteen into Dr. Pendanski's chest.

"Then fill it." She orders before cocking her head and placing her balled fists onto her hips. "And if that's too much trouble, you can grab a shovel and Caveman here can fill the canteens."

"I'm going to collapse." Radar moans, lugging her soar body across the barren landscape along with all of D-Tent with the exception of X-Ray. They had been out digging far past every other group, now with wheelbarrows and rakes. Radar was now fully aware that the boys of Camp Green Lake Boys Correctional Facility weren't digging to build character. Oh, there was much more going on this dry lakebed. But that wasn't the only thing bothering her. While they had been 'digging the dirt twice', Aunt Lou hadn't said a word to her. Hadn't even acknowledged her existence. It was like being at home with the _parents_.

"Man, all you did was push the wheelbarrow. I was the one digging." Magnet points out, slinging an arm around her shoulder and a few of the boys groan.

"Magnet, stop touchin' her. You're going to make her gag." Armpit grumbles, rubbing the back of his neck.

"_She_ makes me gag." Squid hisses under his breath as the group of weary D-Tenters entered the camp compound. Ignoring Squid's rather rude comment, Magnet winks at Armpit while squeezing Radar's shoulder.

"Man, you're just jealous that we're best friends."

"Hey, how'd she know my name, man?" Caveman jumps in once catching up with the group. It had been bothering him all day. Zigzag gives him an impish grin and chucks his shovel with the rest by the 'library'.

"Oh, she's got the whole place wired. Oh yeah, she's got these tiny microphones and cameras all over the place. She's got 'em in the Wreck Room, she's got 'em in the tent, she's got 'em in the showers." He explains with a wicked grin, causing Radar's eyebrows to raise a fraction.

"They're not in the showers!" Caveman argues with a doubtful expression, resulting in a hard look on Zigzag's behalf.

"Man, don't listen to him. I've read his file. It says he suffers from uh…acute paranoia." Squid chuckles. A large smile spreads across Radar's face and she can't help but giggle.

"That explains so much." She smirks and Zigzag playfully shoves her in the shoulder while the others laugh.

"Hey…so that means she watches me everyday, huh?" Magnet muses with a dreamy expression and Armpit snorts.

"Man, he said she had _cameras_ and _microphones_. Not microscopes!"

The group bursts into hysterics and Magnet punches Armpit in the arm, looking offended for a moment before joining in with the laughter. As they passed the Warden's cabin, on their way to the 'Wreck Hall', Radar heard a female's voice calling out her name.

"Radar!"

Group D pauses in mid stride and all heads swivel around to find none other than the Warden smiling softly at them from the porch of her cabin. Radar's throat tightens as she stares at her Aunt. _Now what?_ She thinks, managing her own pathetic smile. What if she was actually going to send her back? Right when she was beginning to grow fond of the place! Her nerves seem to go out of control as 'Aunt Lou' studies her with her head cocked before finally speaking.

"It's nice to have another girl around here. A pleasure to finally meet you."

_Wait…that's it?_ Radar blinks in confusion, letting out some air from the corner of her mouth and waving weakly. Damn her and her mind games.

"Uh yeah…nice to meet you too." She mumbles and begins to fast walk towards D-Tent without the rest of the boys.

"Hey, Ray! Where ya goin'?" Magnet calls after her, confusion plastered across his face. "We were headin' to the wreck hall!"

"Yeah, I was gonna find The Office for ya!" Zigzag adds, with his hands cupped over his mouth. Radar turns around long enough to explain herself before retreating to the tent. "I'm going to shower first."

Once in the safety of the tent, Radar groans and collapses onto her cot. This was way too awkward for her brain to handle. So that's how it was, eh? Aunt Lou was pretending that she had no idea who her niece was, eh? Or maybe it wasn't _just_ pretending. Maybe she was once again disowned.

"Perfect…" She mutters to herself, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

"Are you okay, Radar?" A small voice asks cautiously from the corner of the tent. Removing her hands from her drooping eyes, the female youth glances over at Zero who stared back with the same quizzical eyes as before. _In the waterline. _Radar looks at him hard for a second, wondering what exactly he had heard before speaking.

"How much do you know?" She whispers and Zero shrugs a shoulder.

"Andrew and…" He trails off and he didn't have to finish his sentence for Radar to figure out the rest. His liquid brown eyes sweep the tent for a brief moment before once more focusing on the girl before him.

"Why are you really here?"

Radar hesitates to answer this question.

"I told you, attempted murder."

Zero shakes his head slowly and the girl bites her lower lip nervously.

"You aren't the murdering type." He says bluntly before adding in a tone a bit more gentle than before, "I can keep a secret."

Radar sighs and sits upright in her cot, conflicted on whether to tell Zero or not. She had been yearning to tell somebody. To let it all out. She now considered D-Tent sort of her…friends. Well, except Squid. He was a jerk. _Just, Shutup. This isn't about him. _She felt so terrible for lying to them. About pulling the wool over their eyes. The wretched feeling was overwhelming and Radar couldn't contain it. She wasn't much of a secret keeper.

"The warden's my Aunt." She blurts out in a hushed tone before realizing what she had just admitted and clamping a hand over her mouth. Zero's eyes widen for a nanosecond but he quickly relaxes them again. He's quiet for a moment, probably chewing Radar's word vomit over before nodding.

"Why did you lie?" He wonders and Radar grumbles something incoherently under her breath. _He better damn well know how to keep a secret._

"Well…because let's just say if I don't want to end up homeless, I kind of have to." She sighs and Zero nods in agreement. As if HE understood.

"You're secret's safe with me." He whispers with a soft smile and Radar can't help but believe him.

**Yeah...I thought there should be more Zero in the story cause he was just sorta...there, ya know???? Lmao; anyways. Yeah, ideas for Chapter 9 would be GREATLY appreciated! Seriously, I'm running low on ideas. o.o. GAHHH.  
Thank-you for reading!  
REVIEWS ARE LOVE!!!!!!!!  
-Ziggy**


	9. My Own Worst Enemy

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Holes, The Office, The Smurfs or the song 'My Own Worst Enemy'. They belong to their respective owners as does anything else that is recongizable.**

A/U: MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D. This be your Christmas gift, some major ZigzagxRadar. :P. I hope you enjoy it! Anyways, this chapter is once again dedicated to crazayfunkaymunkay who gave me TONS of ideas and inspired me to keep going. Seriously, you should thank her. o.o. Oh and does anybody know if Magnet steals the sunflower seeds the same day they go back to digging indivual holes or does he do it a few days after??? Hmmmmmmm. AND, i'll do all the review shoutouts at the end.

"FOUR DAYS AND THIS IS ALL YOU JACKASSES GOT TO SHOW FOR IT?!"

Radar, who had been seated comfortably on the old, understuffed couch with Zigzag a minute ago, let's out a shriek of surprise and shrinks back into the corner of the chesterfield. Zigzag merely glances over his shoulder and gives a roaring Magnet a hard look. He, like the majority of D-Tent, was getting sick of the Hispanic's terrible impersonations of the Warden. His attempt at a southern accent was possibly the saddest thing Radar had ever heard.

"Man, go away. We're watching The Office." Zigzag growls before setting his intent gaze once more on the fuzzy TV screen. Magnet gives him an uncertain look before turning to Radar with a raised eyebrow. It was one of those _'are you serious?'_ looks. Radar shrugs with an exasperated sigh. She was bored senseless and would do anything to get up and do something else. But that would hurt Zigzag's feelings. So instead of leaving, as she so badly wanted to, Radar slumps further into the couch and watches the television set with drooping eyes. For six days, D-Tent (now accompanied by A and E tent) was out digging the large hole way later than usual and it was really taking its toll on everybody.

"Excuse me?"

Zigzag groans and swivels his head around to give Magnet the evil eye.

"Do I bother you when you're playing pool?" He asks in a menacing tone and Magnet's impish grin falls lightly. "No…" He mumbles and Zigzag's expression relaxes.

"Leave."

Magnet sighs and slinks off towards the pool table, muttering something about people not appreciating the rare entertainment he was offering. Radar let's out an exasperated sigh of her own and her eyes wander towards the pool table where X-Ray, Squid and Armpit were playing. At least somebody was having fun. Zigzag glances over at her, confused.

"I thought this was your favourite show."

Radar turns to him and bites her lower lip. _Damnit._ "Well…" She begins, tucking a thick strand of hair behind her ear. "I've seen this episode." There, that was a good lie. It was then that it was brought to Radar's attention that she was becoming quite a great liar. Zigzag slowly nods his head and turns back to the set, hiding a smile.

"Don't tell me what happens." He says and Radar can't help but laugh as she stood up.

"Alright then, Zig." She smiles, happy to be free from the television set. Zigzag nods, his eyes still glued to the screen as Radar turns to leave only to be met by yet another scornful stare from Squid.

That was the last straw. This had to end and it was going to right now. Radar could feel her cheeks getting hot with rage as she marched over to the pool table where Squid stood.

"What is up with you?" She demands, poking her index finger into his chest. X-Ray and Armpit let out an 'Ohhh' from the opposing side of the table and Squid's eyes flash with fury.

"What is up with _me_? What is up with _you_?" He yells, throwing his pool stick onto the ground. The whole room was quiet and all eyes were now glued on Squid and Radar, waiting for an all out brawl to break out. The female youth removes her finger from his chest and balls it into a fist before placing it firmly on her hip.

"I'm sick of you acting like such a damn baby! I didn't kiss you, get over it!" Radar exclaims and Squid's cheeks flush with embarrassment as the room bursts into hysterics. His eyes dart face to face before returning his gaze to Radar, looking angrier than ever.

"Shutup." He hisses, his fists clenching and unclenching by his side.

"Whoa, you guys! Just chill!" Magnet says, eyes darting between the two uncertainly. Squid whips his head around to glare at the Hispanic D-Tenter.

"Stay the hell out of this, boy!" He spat before once more facing Radar who looked about ready to punch him in the jaw. "AND YOU! You better shut the hell up and get out of my face before I…"

Radar laughs bitterly.

"Before what? Before you pucker up and try to kiss me again, Squid? You need to gain control of those hormones of yours."

Squid's teeth begin to grind together and you could practically see the steam spewing out of his ears. That had definitely hit a nerve.

"Yeah? Well…" He shouts, searching the Wreck Hall for a comeback before spotting Zigzag approaching and smirks. "You like Zigzag!"

Radar's mouth drops into an 'o' shape, all of the anger draining from her and shock replacing it. Boys from other tents gasp theatrically and D-Tent chose now to get involved.

"Come on guys, let's just chill for a second." X-Ray jumps in, pulling a grinning Squid away with the help of Armpit and Magnet. Finally, Radar could feel her limbs beginning to thaw out and able to stutter out a reply.

"I-I do not!"

She could feel her eyes bugging out of her skull and Squid roars maniacally, knowing that he had won. "Just admit it, _Clarity_. It's pretty god damn obvious! I mean ya go all googly-eyed every time you see 'em. Hell, ya even sit around and watch that stupid TV with him!"

Radar's cheeks turn beet red with embarrassment as she averts her eyes to the floor. Why was she so flustered? Zigzag was just her friend, right? Without warning, a pair of arms wraps around her waist and hoist her over their shoulder in one great motion.

"Come on Radar," The monotone voice of Zigzag murmers as he begins to take long strides towards the exit "he ain't worth it."

Radar didn't struggle in his grasp; instead she let him carry her out towards the tent, listening miserably to Squid's jeering laughter inside the Wreck Hall. She lays her head against his back, hearing the dirt crunch beneath his feet. _What if I do…?_

Once reaching the tent, Zigzag removes the heavy flap and ducks inside. He stands there for a moment. His eyes sweep the tent and Radar is pulled out of her thoughts by Caveman's confused voice.

"What's going on?"

She could hear scraping against the floor as she guessed Caveman began to venture closer. Zigzag's posture stiffens and his grip on Radar tightens.

"Go help X-Ray with Squid in the Wreck Room." He orders in the usual dead tone. More scraping from farther into the tent indicates that Caveman wasn't the only one witnessing this and Radar buries her head farther into Zigzag's back in embarrassment. _Kill me._

"We can take care of Radar." Caveman insists and the female youth felt a calloused hand wrap gently around her ankle.

"I can do it." Zigzag mumbles and the hand hesitantly lets go of her. _NO! Leave me with Caveman!_ Her brain screams. The last person she wanted to be alone with was Zigzag after what went down in the Wreck Room. She was sure that Zigzag had heard. He must've. Squid had practically screamed it at the top of his lungs. Radar wouldn't be surprised if Aunt Lou had heard him. And what if he questioned her about it? Radar groans out loud at the thought.

"Is she sick or something?" Caveman asks in a bothered voice.

What would she say? She didn't like Zigzag like that. Or at least, that was what she had thought. Now she wasn't sure…

"Just go and help X." Zigzag insists.

I can't possibly…but he's so great and he's always there when I need him…No, no shutup. He burnt down his school! He's a delinquent! But a cute delinquent…

"Alright, c'mon Zero." Caveman finally sighs and Radar could hear the two slide by Zigzag and head out of the tent, not bothering to remove to her from Zig's back to watch them. Plus, she sort of liked being so close to him…_Gah, no I don't! Oh whom am I trying to kid? Of course I do! _

As Radar continued to argue with herself inside her head, Zigzag stalks into the now empty tent and hovers over the female youth's cot.

"I'm gonna put ya down now." He warns and Radar grunts into his shirt in response. And with that, Zigzag slides her off of his shoulder and sits her upright on the thin mattress of her cot.

She was hesitant to look at him. She didn't want to. It was like her first hole all over again. That feeling of vulnerability and Zig watching her with anxious, electric blue eyes. Why'd she have to go and open her big mouth? If she had just kept quiet and ignored Squid as she had been doing previously, she wouldn't be here in the first place. After what seemed like a century, Radar takes a deep breath and looks up at Zigzag. He was seated on the floor just infront of where he had placed her a moment ago, staring at her with an unreadable expression plastered across his face. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"That was unexpected…" Zig notes, nodding his head slowly. Radar groans and buries her flustered face in her hands.

"I couldn't take it anymore!" She exclaims, peeking at him through her fingers. His lips were pulled into a frown. There was a long drag of silence before Zigzag finally spoke up with a thoughtful voice.

"Can I promise you somethin'?"

Slowly, Radar removes her hands from her face and folds them across her chest, hoping that Zigzag was unable to hear the sudden acceleration of her heartbeat.

"Yes…" She mutters and Zigzag slides closer to her. His mouth opens, as if to respond, but instead Radar heard the accent of Magnet booming through the tent.

"I'm tellin' ya man! We're like the smurfs!"

The tent flap is pulled back and in walks the rest of D-Tent who were all staring at Magnet with a look of annoyance. Radar sighs in disappointment as Zigzag quickly picks himself up from the floor and retreats to his own cot beside hers. That was going to bother her all night.

"That is the stupidest thing you've ever said." X-Ray replies in a flat tone while collapsing onto the nearest cot. Magnet sends him a quick glare before scanning the group with a large grin.

"It's true! I mean, I'm like Dreamy Smurf," He begins, pointing his thumb at himself, "X is Papa Smurf…"

X-Ray stares at him doubtfully and Armpit bursts into a laughing fit beside him.

"Zigzag is Dabbler Smurf…"

Zigzag's cheeks redden and he averts his eyes to the tent wall.

"Squid is Pretentious Smurf…"

Squid, who had been staring at Radar with a wry smile, whips his head around to glance at Magnet.

"What does pretentious mean?"

Magnet pauses for a moment, considering on whether or not to tell Squid what it meant before continuing, deciding that it was best for his health if Squid didn't know.

"Armpit is Stinky Smurf…"

"HEY!"

Armpit reaches over and smacks Magnet upside the head, looking offended. The Hispanic chuckles before continuing with his little personality-matching game.

"Let's see…Oh! Zero can be Timid Smurf…"

Zero opens his eyes long enough to glance at Magnet before yawning and turning in his cot.

"And Caveman is Clumsy Smurf…"

Caveman blushes and laughs softly.

"Oh and Radar is Smurfette!" Magnet finishes, clasping his hands together. Radar rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at him while snuggling down under her sheets. Magnet's blabbering wasn't all that bad. It had distracted her for a short while from Zigzag and Squid.

"Wait…wasn't Papa Smurf and Smurfette together?" X-Ray muses before winking at Radar. Magnet gasps theatrically, a look of horror plastered across his face.

"NO! Papa Smurf looks out for ALL of the Smurfs and loves them equally."

X-Ray looked a little disappointed as he ventured towards his own cot, causing the rest of the tent to roar.

"YA D-TENT GIRL SCOUTS GET TO BED OR I'LL PUT A HURT ON YA!" Screams Mr. Sir from outside the tent, ending the rather interesting conversation on Smurfs Magnet was leading.

**X.X.X.X**

"No…I don't want anymore Smurf berries…" Magnet mumbles in a groggy voice before rolling over on his cot, snoring lightly. Radar shivers under her thin sheets and flips over so that she was facing Zigzag. She could faintly make out the outline of his insane hair through the dark of night. It had to be at least one in the morning and yet; the female youth was unable to sleep a wink. She had felt herself close once or twice but then Zigzag's little interrupted promise would surface in her mind and then…well, sleep was overpowered by curiosity. Radar hugs the sheets closer to her body and she squeezes her eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to sleep and clear her mind. She felt herself once again on the verge of sleep when she heard a faint rustle from the cot beside hers. Radar felt herself go rigid as a pair of feet hit the floor with a thump and cautiously approached the side of her own cot. She quickly steadies out her breathing, as if she was asleep and strains her ears to hear more. There was silence, with the exception of Armpit's snoring and Magnet's mumbles about 'Smurf berries'. And right when Radar was sure that she had imagined the noise, a calloused hand gently reaches under her blankets and grabs her own palm. Radar's breath catches in her throat.

"When we get out…" A southern drawl whispers, caressing her hand tenderly, "I promise we'll get your Aunt for what she did. I promise you…"

Radar was too smitten to realize that the promise could never be kept since she _had_ no crazy Aunt. All she could think about was the electricity that pulsed through her when he held her hand.

"Goodnight, Radar." He whispers into her ear, causing Radar's stomach to flop. And slowly, ever so slowly, thinking that the young girl was asleep, he gently places his lips against hers while cradling her cheek in his free hand. He let his lips lay there for a second before releasing her hand and pulling away, leaving her wide-eyed and shocked. Radar never did sleep that night.

**ZINGGGGERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! :D  
Lmfao, hope you all have a great Christmas. ^_^  
SHOUTOUTS:  
Smeghead: Oh, haha thanks! And no worries, neither am I...o.o wait...yes I am. xD; just ignore that. and thank-you for the review! :D  
Angelfang: Thank-you so much! Greatly appreciated! Merry Christmas! :D  
crazayfunkaymunkay: xD; I love the commentary! I wish Max was obsessing over me instead of Patricia -_-. If only, of only...:P; thanks! And THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE HELP!!!!!!!!!!! :DDDD  
XXfallenangelxx87: Okay, was fanfic not sending you notifying e-mails for a bit? cause mine wasn't. it pissed me off. xD; and thank-you so much! That made me grin!  
Safira Rue Mellark: LMFAO! you took my friend's title! She left me a weird review about shoelaces once...yeahhhhhh. lmao; I'm so glad you're enjoying it and I'm just a little unwell too. ;P  
Kyori Uchiha of the Sand: Yes, I did. I've read it...5 times I think and I was totally going to base it more off the book but my library made me return it. -_-. plus, it's my school library and my bitchy ELA teacher never takes us down there anymore. GR. But, I might use the 'Zigzag's birthday' thing cause it's really cute. :P lmfao; thank-you for your review and I'm glad you like it!  
Eva Reilly: Thank-you so much and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story!  
Pix: I love Zigzag too! :O. if you haven't already figured it out...lol. Thanks for the help! I'm glad you like the story!**

R&R,  
Ziggy

Oh and I put the link to the story playlist on my profile if ya wanna check that out. :D  



	10. Mistaken

**DISCLAIMER: I do nay own Holes or the song 'Mistaken'. They belong to their respective owners so don't flipping sue me, aight???!!!  
DEDICATION: To crazayfunkaymunkay who wrote parts of this chapter and help me with ideas ONCE AGAIN. She wrote: (and I sorta tweaked it here and there) Zigzag's thoughts close to the end and most of the confrontation between Magnet and Ziggy. THANK-YOU! :D **

_He kissed me. He kissed me. He. Kissed. Me._

It repeated through Radar's head like a broken record player as she dances across the dark camp compound with the rest of her tent.

_Zigzag _kissed_ me._

Armpit gives her a funny look as he slugs by towards Mr. Sir's office where they had been told to report to at once.

"Are you high or somethin'?" He questions, raising his eyebrow. Radar pauses in mid-twirl long enough to give him a sheepish smile before continuing on her merry way. "I'm in a good mood." She calls out, continuing to spin. Not even waking up at four thirty in the morning or the funny looks E-Tent was giving her could dampen her spirits. Zigzag had _kissed_ her. Radar closes her eyes as she whirls, trying to imagine Zig's lips against hers. There was no way to deny it now. She liked Zigzag.

"Whoa, Radar! Look out!" Somebody shouts out and before she could open her eyes and ask why, she felt herself hit the dirt with a thump. Hesitantly, she opens her eyes with the same dreamy expression on her face. Zero was hovering over her, looking concerned, unlike everybody else how found her little trip quite funny.

"Are you okay, Radar?" He asks, holding out his hand to help her up.

"He kissed me." Radar breathes with a goofy grin, dazed.

Zero's eyes widen.

"Who?" The young boy questions and Radar's smile grows even wider; unaware on what exactly she was saying.

"Zigzag."

Zero swivels his head around to stare wide-eyed his fellow D-Tenter who was walking behind them.

"He thought I was asleep, I think." Radar continues while finally taking Zero's outstretched hand. "So don't say anything." Gradually, the younger boy pulls her to her feet with a grunt before nodding in understandment. Radar pats him on top of the head with a lopsided smile, approaching Mr. Sir's office along with A, E and the rest of D-tent only this time, more carefully. No need to embarrass herself even further. Too bad they didn't notice Squid lounging not too far away with a scowl now spreading across his face.

"Listen up…" Mr. Sir begins in his gruff voice as he stalks across the porch of his office, A, E and D tent lined up before him with sleepy eyes "After the behaviour exhibited these past several days, the Warden and I have decided that your character buildin' be best served by returning to the digging of individual holes."

The group of campers blink in response, too tired to really do anything more. Mr. Sir eyes them carefully before nudging Pendanski and trudging off towards the 'library' to unlock the shovels.

"Alright! Let's go dig boys…and girl." Pendanski shouts and slowly, the group of delinquents begin the long walk out to their digging areas. Radar momentarily glances over at her Aunts cabin before sighing and joining her tent. Obviously they hadn't found what she was looking for.

"Man, he's a mole. How many times to I hafta tell ya?" X-Ray was insisting once the female youth had caught up. Armpit shakes his head, refusing to give in.

"X, you have no idea what you're talking about." He sighs before glancing at Zero up ahead with Caveman "That dude is totally an earthworm."

As the bickering between the two continues, Radar tentatively makes her way ahead of the group to where Zigzag was walking, staring out on the land with a blank look. He gives her a sideways glance once realizing that she was there before reaching into the pocket of his jumpsuit and pulling out his gloves.

"Mornin'." He greets as he tucks the gloves into Radar's own pocket. "Feelin' any better, today?"

At first, Radar thought that he was referring to the kiss and she had given him a soft smile. The weird look that she had received after doing made her realize that Zigzag was actually talking about the fight between Squid and herself and she drops her smile and blushes.

"Yeah, I'm okay now…" Radar mumbles and her companion gives her a lopsided smile along with an approving head bob.

"Good."

There was a long drag of uncomfortable silence in between the two and Radar replayed their lip lock once again in her mind before looking up at Zigzag. Was he going to tell her? He seemed to have no intentions of doing so. The female youth bites her lower lip, debating on whether to bring it up or not. _Maybe if I hint at it he'll just admit it himself…_

"So…I felt this tickle under my nose last night…any idea what it could've been?" She says slowly and Zigzag shrugs his shoulders in response.

"Maybe it was a scorpion!" Magnet, who had seemingly come out of nowhere, offers. Zigzag nods in agreement. "Yeah, that's probably it." Radar, feeling slightly discouraged, glances over at Magnet.

"I don't think so, it was more like a breeze."

"Somebody probably left the tent flap open last night and there was a draft." He counters, giving her a toothy grin. Radar gives him an annoyed look and was tempted to push him into the nearest hole but she refrained from doing so. "Thanks _Magnet_." She says through clenched teeth. The Hispanic winks at her and wraps his free arm around her shoulder.

"Anything for Smurfette."

Zigzag looks at them out of the corner of his eye before once again shrugging his shoulder.

"Could've been me who left it open, I got up in the night." He muses and gives the female youth a sheepish smile. "Sorry." Radar's head snaps up and she studies Zigzag with her own giddy grin.

"Why'd you get up? What did you do?"

Ziggy gives her another weird look.

"To get a drink of water from the spigot."

Radar's smile drops. "That's _all_?"

"Yeah."

She sighs in frustration and averts her eyes to the ground infront of her as she walked. _Maybe I was dreaming or maybe he had been sleepwalking or…maybe it was prank._ She thinks miserably as the group of three followed Mr. Sir's truck out to their digging area. But first things first. She needed Zigzag to actually admit that he had kissed her before finding out _why_. Radar is suddenly pulled out of her thoughts when Magnet pipes up in a rather excited tone.

"Hey guys, I had this _awesome_ dream about smurf berries last night…"

**X.X.X.X**

"Hey Ziggy, have you had your first kiss yet?"

Zigzag looks a little taken aback by the question as he and Radar made their way to the water truck. She had been continuing to hint at their little 'lip lock' but still, nothing.

"Why do you want to know?" He asks suspiciously, his eyes growing as big as saucers. Radar shrugs a shoulder and smiles innocently. "I'm just curious." Zigzag studies her for a few moments before sighing and nodding his head.

"Yeah."

Radar bobs her head up and down.

"I haven't." She informs him with an edge in her voice. Zigzag merely mouths an 'oh' and files into his place in line, leaving Radar once again, unsatisfied. The female youth let's out a quiet moan before spinning on her heel and making her way to the end of the line.

"Hey, Radar! You can go infront of me." Magnet beams as she slugged by. Radar pauses in mid stride to blink at him before turning to X-Ray at the front of the line, waiting for approval. D-Tent's leader merely shrugs before turning to face an impatient Mr. Sir.

"Uh…thanks Magnet." She mumbles, stepping into the water line infront of the grinning Hispanic.

"Eres muy bienvenida, hermosa." Magnet replies, making a pathetic attempt to wiggle his eyebrows. Radar gives him a weird look over her shoulder but says nothing.

"Once upon a time there was a magical place where it never rained…the end."

Radar, who had been lounging around the water truck waiting for Caveman, raises an eyebrow in the direction of the roaring Mr. Sir. He really did know how to crush a kids dream. One minute, all of D-Tent had been watching the thunderclouds approaching from over the mountains with hopeful eyes and the next they were all listening to Mr. Sir laugh maniacally about some stupid joke and most of them couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. Or at least, Radar couldn't. She wasn't going to get to see or walk in the rain for as long as she was here living with Aunt Lou. Well, not exactly living. More like _working_ for her. Radar shakes her head as she heads back to her hole with Caveman.

"Alright then…" She mumbles and Caveman chuckles lightly before they parted ways to return to their individual holes. Radar spoons at the loose dirt in her hole as Mr. Sir sped off in his truck, evaluating her 'Zigzag' problem. However, she didn't get that far before suddenly Magnet calls out to the group.

"Hey guys…"

D-Tent looks up at the male youth, mumbling a few 'what?'s' before Magnet holds up a plain, brown sack of _sunflower_ _seeds_.

"Anybody want some sunflower seeds?" He grins at the boys let out a few cheers. Even Radar couldn't help but grin.

"I can't help it, man! My fingers are like little magnets!" He laughs as X-Ray grabs the sack from him. From X-Ray, it went to Armpit and from Armpit, to Zigzag. Radar watches this with a small smile creeping across her face and she waits patiently for the bag to be tossed to her.

"Hey, Zig! C'mon man, hurry up!" Squid calls, eyeing the water truck nervously. Too late. As soon as the words left Squid's mouth, the water truck makes a sudden U-Turn and begins to speed back towards the digging site.

"He's coming back!" Magnet exclaims, shoving the remaining seeds in his hand into the pocket of his jumpsuit. Radar yelps and nervously glances over at Zigzag just as he throws the open bag of seeds over to Caveman while calling: "Catch it!"

Caveman, who had been seated at the edge of his hole, looks up just in time to watch the sack of seeds land in his hole and spew out in all different directions.

"Oh! Stanley! Butterfingers!" Ziggy mocks and Radar bites her lower lip as the truck gets nearer and nearer.

"Cover it up!" She finally yells and Caveman obediently begins to spread the dirt around in his hole.

The truck squelches to a halt right beside Magnet's hole and the boys grow quiet and nonchalantly begin to dig once again. In jerky movements, Mr. Sir hoists himself out of the vehicle and begins to inspect their holes without a word. As she chucked dirt onto her growing pile, Radar takes a quick peak over at Caveman or from what she had recently learned…Stanley. He was sprawled out across his shallow hole, picking at his thumbnail. Mr. Sir pauses for a moment in between Squid's and Armpit's hole once spotting Caveman. "Well, well…" The head counsellor muses, approaching Caveman's hole "how did this get here?"

The young boy looks up at Mr. Sir, lip trembling slightly.

"What?"

Mr. Sir points down at something in his hole and Radar strains to see. "How did this get here?" He repeats in a low growl. "Did it fall from the sky? Huh?"

Hesitantly, Caveman gets up and snags something buried in his dirt. The empty sack.

"No…" He mutters, glancing over at Magnet who was watching the two anxiously. "I stole them out of your truck."

Radar had to hold back a gasp as the aging man grabs the sack from Caveman's hands. Why would he _lie_?

"I think the Warden would like to see what you found." Mr. Sir says in a dangerously quiet tone. The look on Caveman's face was pure horror as he was lead to the water truck and shoved into the passenger seat. "Oh my gosh…" Radar says in awe, watching the water truck disappear in a cloud of dust.

"Well…we ain't seeing him again." X-Ray murmers, once more beginning to shovel out dirt from his hole. A few of the other boys nod their heads in agreement and Radar begins to feel nauseous. There was a good three minutes of awkward silence before suddenly Squid stops digging and turns towards where Zigzag was located.

"So Zig…I heard ya kissed Radar last night."

Zigzag snaps his head up, his eyes wide, Radar wearing an almost identical expression. Everyone was now staring at Zigzag, waiting for him to reply. His wild, electric eyes dart face to face before finally resting on Squid, face deadpan.

"No I didn't."

Squid's mouth twists into a wicked grin.

"Really? That's not what Radar was sayin' this morning." He shrugs, twisting his toothpick around in his mouth. Zigzag turns to look at her and Radar turns a deep shade of red. She couldn't make eye contact with him. After what seemed like a century, Zigzag finally replies in a calm, even tone.

"I only did it to suck out the brainwashing serum that the government had put in her food. I would've never done it under any other circumstances."

Radar's eyes sting with tears and she quickly turns away from the group who were now staring at her. Squeezing her eyes shut and trying hard not to cry infront of her tent, the female youth slinks down into her hole.

"Man, I knew you wouldn't ever kiss someone like her." Squid laughs and Radar could practically feel her heart being torn out. Zigzag hadn't liked her at all; he had just had a 'paranoia' attack. And all that time she had wasted replaying that electrifying kiss in her mind. She let's out a whimper, wanting for the ground just to swallow her up.

**X.X.X.X**

Zigzag dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his jumpsuit, his wild blue eyes glued to the ground before him as he stalks towards D-Tent. He couldn't believe Radar had been awake the whole time. She looked, and sounded fast asleep. The thought of her knowing at the time made his face go crimson. He felt...embarrassed. He sighs and kicks at a mound of dirt below his feet. Part of him wished she wouldn't have known- and told, and part of him wished he had never done it. He knew someone would find out at some time or another with all of the cameras they had around this place.

But not this soon.

Zigzag breathed heavily as he entered the tent, then made his way over to his cot and started to twiddle his thumbs.

"What have I done?" He mutters quietly to himself, shutting his eyes tight. _I wonder how bad she hates me…_ He thinks gloomily, slowly opening his eyes and setting his gaze intently on the rotting floor of the tent.

"Zig?"

Zigzag's eyebrows twitch and he looks up with a slight frown on his face. There stood Magnet, looking down at him, anxiously.

"What Magnet…?" Ziggy sighs, continuing to twiddle his thumbs. Magnet hesitantly plops down on the cot beside him, feeling awkward. "Umm…"

The wild-haired D-Tenter glances over at Magnet with an annoyed expression. His nerves were already shot. The last thing he wanted to do was listen to the Hispanic 'hum' and 'haw' for the next half an hour.

"Just say it, Magnet." He says rather forcefully. Magnet raises an eyebrow before taking a deep breath and gaining up the courage to say whatever he was about to say.

"Umm, do you like the chica, Zig?" He asks timidly, averting his eyes to the floor. Zigzag begins to worry. What if Magnet had also been awake last night and knew the truth? What if he knew that he had actually _meant_ it? What if he told everybody else? He shakes it off and continues to twiddle his thumbs.

"No." He lies. Magnet let's out a large sigh of relief from beside him and chuckles.

"Okay, good! I just wanted to make sure."

Zigzag watches in confusion as Magnet hoists himself up and begins to make his way towards the tent flap.

"Why is that _good_?" He questions, eyeing the Hispanic suspiciously. Magnet swivels

his head around, a dreamy expression plastered across his face.

"I'm going to ask her to be my chica at supper tonight and I wanted to make sure that you didn't like her before I did."

Zigzag felt as if his insides had just been ripped out. He felt sick to his stomach. He felt…upset.

"Wait, why would she go out with _you_?" He asks, putting extra emphasize on the word 'you'. A large grin spreads across Magnet's face.

"Because she likes me, if you haven't been able to tell." He replies as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. Zigzag wasn't exactly sure on what do say, but apparently he didn't have to since Magnet practically bolted out of the tent after that, anyway. But not before making Ziggy feel even worse.

"Thanks Zig, I'm kinda glad you don't like her. If you would've, I don't think I'd even ask her."

Zigzag stares after his fellow D-Tenter for a few moments before frowning and mumbling to himself.

"But I do like her."

**Alright, first off I'd like to say that this is not a MagnetxOCxZigzag fanfic but I decided to add a little bit more of a twist in the plot so...yeah. Oh and I decided to have Zigzag and Radar get together later in the story (but there isn't much more of a wait!). Now, I shall do my review shout-outs:  
crazayfunkaymunkay: LMFAOOO. don't worry, one day we will hunt him down and make sure that he loves us xD. And yeah, THANKS AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN for allllllll the help! :D  
XXfallenangelXX87: Funny thing is is that I have never watched the Smurfs before in my life. rofl. Yes, isn't Ziggy just the cutest?? :p  
Safira Rue Mellark: haha, no problemo! and thank-you for reading mi amigo! :]  
Rubii: Oh, haha! Glad my story could cheer you up! And thank-_you _for all the support! It means so much to me!  
.OhGravity.: Yes, Magnet is like...epic. Gotta love the accent. xP. thanks for the review my friend! I really appreciate it! :D  
rgtz: I hope this was quick enough for you o.o  
MidnightShadow506672: BWUAHAHHAHAHA! well, now you know who the mystery dude is! And thank-you so much, my friend! I really, truly appreciate that! ^_^  
LucieKate96: Ohmygosh! Thank-you!!!!! That made me smile realllll big. :P. I don't think they're going to make up just yet. I'm planning something huge to happen between them. xD. just gotta wait and see!  
Thanks again to all those who reviewed, favourited or put my story on 'alert'! It's you people specifically that help me keep going! :D pat yourselves on the back! Oh and thanks for reading! :], i hope you liked this chater!**

**Reviews are love!!!!!!!!!**

**-Ziggy:]x  
**


	11. Mr Brightside

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Holes or the song 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers. DON'T EFFING SUE ME! You don't want what I have...which is nothing. xD  
A/U: Thanks to all my reviewers! You guys make me grin! Mhm, GRIN! xD. This is a short, little chapter because I had a small cause of writer's block. Yeahhh...hopefully the next chapter will be longer and more interesting. Anyways, I think there's 6-8 chapters left...maybe more than that. I can't believe how far I've come! WOW. rofl; anyways. crazayfunkaymunkay the beginning. Up to the line "She looks in the opposite direction, biting her lower lip." (tweaked slightly by me) and then the mess hall junk she helped me with too but was written mostly by me. ANYWAYS, read on ^_^:**

"…He eventually married one of the nurses in the hospital he was being treated in, but no one ever knew what he meant by 'God's Thumb'."

Caveman was walking back to the camp compound with Radar, explaining to her how his great-grandfather almost died out in the desert somewhere after being robbed by Kissin' Kate Barlow. Radar, who was only half listening, stares at her feet as she walks. She was still depressed over the fact that Zigzag hadn't actually kissed her for the reason she _thought_. He had only kissed her to…'suck out the brainwashing serum that the government had put in her food'. Radar sighs and blinks back some fresh tears that threatened to fall.

"It's kind of cool to be related to someone that was robbed by Kissin' Kate Barlow, I mean. She didn't kiss him but-"

Caveman stops abruptly when noticing Radar sniffling slightly and wiping tears away from her eyes.

"Hey…hey, are you crying?" He asks gently, moving her hands away from her face. As he does so, Radar turns her head to the side and avoids eye contact with him. When Radar doesn't answer, Caveman gets even more curious and starts to think.

"H-hey…are you crying because of what happened earlier?" Caveman asks slowly, a sad frown creeping across his face. Of course when he had returned from the Warden's cabin, Squid had told him the whole story about what had happened between her and Zigzag. _"It was real funny, Caveman. You should've been there." _Radar stops sniffling and sighs lowly as Caveman comes into realization.

"You _are, _aren't you?" He looks intently at the female youth, who was still wiping away tears from her eyes. She looks in the opposite direction, biting her lower lip.

"I don't want to talk about it." She says finally, so quietly that Caveman had to strain to hear her. Slowly, he nods his head in understandment before momentarily wrapping his arm around her shoulder in reassurance.

"I understand."

Radar peaks at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling softly. What would she do without her Caveman?

"So…what did the 'Warden' do to you?" She asks once they had dropped off their shovels at the 'library'. The whole compound was empty for the exception of the two. Radar had dug slower than usual and who could blame her? You couldn't really put one hundred and ten percent into a task when you felt like your insides had just been torn out. She didn't even have Caveman to keep her company after the last D-Tenter had finished their hole. Zero had dug his hole for him while he had been gone. Why? Nobody really knows. Radar was sure that even Caveman didn't know why he had done it but nonetheless, he had returned to camp first, only coming back to check on Radar.

"Nothing…" The male youth finally replies in a distant voice, taking long strides towards the mess hall. She raises a doubtful eyebrow, jogging to keep up to her companion. She highly doubted that Aunt Lou would do _nothing_ for stealing. That was way out of character.

"C'mon, Caveman." She urges, nudging him gently in the side with her elbow.

He gives her sideways glance, his lips pursed before reluctantly shaking his head.

"_I_ don't want to talk about it."

There was a bit of a mocking edge in his voice and a playful smile spreads across his sunburnt face. Radar laughs slightly, nudging him once more. "Ouch." The female youth replies theatrically, holding a hand over her heart. Caveman merely sighs and shakes his head, the same smile still on his face before halting infront of the entrance to the Mess Hall. _The Mess Hall_.

Radar's breath catches in her throat and panic begins to build up inside of her. She couldn't face them. Not after the embarrassment and heartbreak she had gone through only a few hours beforehand. Caveman had to be insane if he thought that she was going in _there_. His hand reaches for the doorknob, only for Radar to knock it away.

"I'm not going in there."

Caveman looks up at her, a frown spreading across his once glowing face. He seems confused for a few moments before his hazel eyes widen in realization.

"You can't just starve yourself, Radar. You're going to have to face them sooner or later." He says, eyeing her with worry. Radar glances at the door momentarily, her grip on Caveman's wrist loosening slightly. He did have a point. She _was_ going to have to face them sooner or and Zigzag…

The female youth fights back the tears that now threatened to fall before meeting Caveman's awaiting eyes.

"Can I choose later?"

Radar gives him a sheepish smile and he shakes his head in refusal.

"I don't think so."

The young girl stares incredulously at him for a moment or two before sighing in defeat and prepares for Caveman to drag her into the Mess Hall. There was no way she could win this fight. Holding her breath, Radar gradually lets go of his wrist.

"Fine." She sighs and with that, she found herself gently being pushed into the hall by a victorious Caveman.

As soon as she stepped inside the Mess Hall, it was if the world _stopped_. All eyes were on her, or at least that was what it felt like to Radar. She feels her face flush a crimson colour when her gaze meets those of D-Tent. There they were. All seated in the same distinct layout with the exception of the two empty spaces where Caveman and Radar sat. Opposing _Zigzag_. The female youth had to force her eyes to his, feeling the ache of her heart and the threatening tears once more. His wild blue eyes were glued to the tabletop and he was picking at the food on his plate as if distracted. Beside him, Squid was staring at her with a taunting smirk before whispering something to X-Ray and laughing. That was it. Radar spins on her heel, only to find Caveman standing in between her and the exit, looking down at her, lips curved downward.

"I can't do it." She mumbles, pleading with him with her eyes. Caveman pulls a reassuring smile onto his face and turns her around by the shoulders.

"Don't worry, you don't even have to talk to them. I'll be right there."

Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down, Radar follows her companion towards the serving area, keeping her lips pursed shut. While her 'dinner' was being slopped onto her tray, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. Caveman was like her older brother now. He was like…Andrew.

"Yo, Caveman! Over here!"

X-Ray's calling pulls her away from memory lane and back to reality. Where she was about to face the very last person she wanted to see at the moment.

"Let's go." Caveman nudges her towards the table gently and Radar forces her feet to move forward.

There was dead silence at Group D's table as Radar took her rightful place in between Armpit and Caveman. She didn't dare look up. Instead she kept her eyes glued to whatever was crawling across her tray. She was afraid that if she looked up, she might meet Zigzag's intense eyes. Or maybe Squid's. She couldn't be sure on whose was worse. _Why did I let Caveman talk me into this?_ Finally, the awkward silence comes to an end when X-Ray begins to mumble something to Armpit about the supply truck. And slowly, the rest of the conversations that had been going on before her arrival continues too and Radar let's out a sigh of relief. Maybe she would be able to make it through dinner.

"Hey, chica…"

Just as she was about to take a bite of her mouldy bread, Magnet leans across the table with his signature grin plastered across his face. Radar reluctantly raises her eyes to look at him, setting her bread off to the side of her tray. "I gotta ask you somethin'…"

_That_ had caught Zigzag's attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices his posture stiffen and his eyes lock on Magnet. It looked as if he was trying to kill the Hispanic with his mind.

"What is it…?" She murmers, ignoring that fact that Zigzag was eavesdropping on their conversation. She didn't want to think about him anymore. No, she wouldn't let herself think about him. Anytime she did it just reminded her of how much of a jackass she had made herself look like and of the tears that seemed to always want to fall.

Magnet clears his throat as if he was about to make a big announcement while grabbing her hand that held her plastic fork. The girl's eyes widen.

"Magnet…what are you doing?"

The Hispanic D-Tenter ignores her question and instead, carries on with whatever he wanted to say.

"Radar, do you think you'd like to be…_mi novia_?"

The girl gives him a blank look, as does Zigzag and everybody else at the table who happened to overhear him. Magnet blushes when realizing that she couldn't understand him and repeats the question in english.

"My girlfriend?"

Squid, who had been guzzling down his water, let's out a violent cough and holds a hand to his throat and with the other, pounds on the table and while everybody else at the table stares at Radar, waiting anxiously for her response.

She stares at Magnet, all of her thoughts coming to a grinding halt. Had Magnet just asked…her…out? Uh-ho. She shifts her gaze around the table. X-Ray to Zero to Armpit to Squid (who was still spluttering and coughing) to Caveman and then to Zigzag. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression. They lock eyes for a second before Radar flushes and quickly looks back to Magnet. She needed to buy herself more time to think. She didn't want to say yes but if she said no, that'd break his heart. The pressure that everybody was forcing onto her was almost too much to bear.

"Uhh…I'll think about it, okay Magnet?" Radar finally gasps, using the excuse that Shayne Roland had given her when she had asked him out in the eighth grade. Magnet smiles at her and gives her hand one last squeeze before letting go.

"Okay, just get back to me soon, huh chica?"

"Yeah…" The girl replies, looking down at her food. It was then that Squid was able to clear is esophagus of water and stare at the Hispanic in disbelief.

"You're joking, right? You're pulling a Zigzag?" The country boy asks and out of Radar's perpetual vision, she notices Ziggy wince.

"No man, I'm serious." Magnet assures him and Squid begins to roar, making both Magnet and Radar blush furiously.

"Yo-you have real bad taste in girls there, amigo." He splutters. Suddenly, Zigzag throws down his fork onto his tray and rises to his feet, a look of…_something_ sketched onto his face. Anger? Dissapointment? Maybe a mixture of the two. Radar couldn't be sure since he had his eyes glued to his tray that he was holding in his hands.

"Hey Zig, where ya going?" X-Ray calls over Squid's laughing fit. Zigzag glances in the girl's direction for half a second.

"I'm done." He mutters before he turns around, sets his tray with the rest and marching out of the Mess Hall in brisk steps.

**X.X.X.X**

"_Give me the keys, Claire."_

_Brain-dead._

"_No."_

_Brain-dead.  
"Don't worry! I'll be fine!"  
Brain-dead._

"_You killed him."_

_Brain-dead._

"_I didn't…"_

_Brain-dead._

"_You're not my child."_

_Brain-dead. Brain-dead. Brain-dead._

Radar's eyes snap open and a sob escapes from her throat. Another night terror. Why couldn't the past just let her go? Wiping away the tears that had leaked while she had been asleep, the female youth hoists herself into an upright position in her cot. Everybody was sound asleep. Or at least, that was what the snores wafting from surrounding cots told her. Radar let's out more gentle sobs and buries her head in her knees, waiting for the crying to stop so she could get back to sleep. Dirt crunches from outside the tent flap and the girl's head snaps up, wondering who would be up at this time of night. Her mind begins to picture murderers in hockey masks and men dressed in black ski masks. _Shutup, _she thinks, shaking her head, _you're acting like Zigzag._ Radar glares in his general direction before the tent flap is slowly pulled back and a dark figure stumbles inside with an 'ooph'. She holds back a scream of terror and stares at the intrudor with wide eyes.

"What the hell?!" The female youth whispers harshly, her voice still quaky from sobbing earlier. The figure, who had been hovering over Magnet's cot, looks over at her before slowly approaching her.

"Radar?" A familiar voice asks, rolling the 'r''s slightly. She let's out a sigh of relief and the hair on her neck relaxes. It was just Magnet.

"Magnet, what are you doing?" Radar sniffles as her fellow D-Tenter seats himself down at the edge of her cot.

"I went to the bathroom. What are _you_ doing up, chica?"

She hesitates, eyes shifting around the room before sighing and pulling the sheets closer to her.

"Night terrors."

She could hear Magnet sigh into the darkness and edge himself closer to the trembling girl.

"I had those too when I first came. Yellow spotted lizards were eatin' me."

Radar looks at him incrediously before chuckling quietly and resting her head on her knees so that she was facing the general direction of her companion.

"I wish they'd stop." She murmers, more to herself then to Magnet. She felt an arm wrap around her huddled body. It didn't feel like electricty was pulsing through her like when Zigzag had touched her, but it was…nice.

"Ya know I'm here for you, Radar. If you have another one just…wake me up, okay? I'll stay up with you."

Radar can't help but smile and she rests her head momentarily on his arm before he pulls away and slowly retreats to his own cot.

"Thanks, Magnet." She whispers into the night, closing her eyes once more and snuggling into the cots.

"_no hay problema, hermoso. Sólo descansar, ¿de acuerdo? Tenemos un gran día por delante de nosotros._"

Despite the fact that she had no idea what he was saying, Radar felt better anyways. As she felt herself dozing back into a slumber, feeling confident that Andrew's memory wouldn't be haunting her tonight, she fails to notice something missing in the tent. Zigzag's incoherent mumblings.

**Yeah, unsure with this chapter. But Zigzag just HAD to bed up, okay? HE HAD TO BE! I think it helps a little bit for the chain of events going down next chapter. :D  
****REVIEW SHOUTOUTS:  
ZealousZoe': YES! He's indeed falling for her. ^_^; but so is Magnet! LE GASP! xD; strange, aren't I? Anyways, thank-you so much for the review! Hope you have a great New Years!  
crazayfunkaymunkay: AH! tis mi amigo! mhm yes, your bits were indeed awesome. :P thanks so much for the help...yet again! And it doesn't matter anymore...you stole 'chill', tis, twas...pretty much everything else from me too. xP im over it.  
gsd: oh haha, thanks! that means so much! :D  
Angelfang: Yess...indeed poor Radar. D:. but thanks so much for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!  
.OhGravity.: Gahhh, yes. very depressing. But that's seemingly the only way I can write. :S. Haha, anyways, thanks so much for your review! And I hope you update Three Little Words soon! I'm anticipating it! ^_^  
XXfallenangelXX87: xDDD; yes like a puppy dog. I spent the whole day imitating him. I repeated all his lines and carried around a stuffed puppy in my pocket. lmfao. just wanted to let ya know :P  
MidnightShadow506672: THANK-YOU!!!!! THANKS FOR THE REVIEW!  
Avacados...are...awesome: ROFL! Nice, nice! And thanks! And I would definiatly not want to made you sad. D:, cause that make me sad. And I like to smile! Smiling is my favourite! xDDD; thanks for the review! means so much!**

**REVIEWS ARE LOVE! (And please, be nice! :P)  
**

**thanks for reading,  
-Ziggy:]x**


	12. Apologize AU

**So I was reading over my reviews for this story and I was like...  
"OHMYGOD. This story deserves an update!" Seriously. I feel so bad for leaving you guys hanging at such a tense part. So anyways, I opened up word and wrote one line and then I realized I have no idea where I was going with the story anymore. o.o It's making me depressed. But anyways, I am going to try super hard this week to write some kind of update for you and maybe make up for me...dying. I LOVE EVERYBODY WHO'S LEFT REVIEWS. You guys made me remember this story. And for that, I will treat you all. Ahem, here is the song for the next chapter;**

**Do You Want To Know A Secret? by The Beatles.**

**Yesshhhh. :D  
EXPECT AN UPDATE SOON AND I APOLOGIZE TO ALL,**

**-Jayx:]  
**


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